Anatoly Legkodymov, the Russian co-founder and former CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato, is requesting a pardon from president Trump to free him from 18 months of prison.

According to his indictment, Legkodymov was part of an operation that facilitated the transmission of illicit funds through his role at Bitzlato.

The U.S authorities also alleged that hundreds of millions of dollars flowed from Bitzlato to the dark web Hydra Marketplace, and the exchange received about $15 million connected to ransomware attacks.

In 2023, Legkodymov pled guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and began serving his sentence in July 2023.

But the Russian branch of the international Committee classified Legekdymov's case as a classic attack against the crypto community and Russian programmers, and stated that Legkodymov's appeal is rooted in hopes for a more balanced U.S approach to digital finance.

It was also reported that French authorities were also attempting to extradite Legkodymov to face similar charges after his time in the U.S.

It is still unclear if Trump has received the pardon request or not or whether he will act on it.

Pardons Already Granted to Crypto Figures

Since assuming office in January, President Trump has issued at least 58 presidential pardons, including several to prominent figures in the digital asset space like Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht and four former executives of BitMEX.

Former Binance CEO Changpeng "CZ" Zhao also revealed in May that he had applied for a pardon from Trump.

Zhao pleaded guilty to one count of felony charges in November 2023 as part of a deal between U.S authorities and Binance. He ended up serving just four months of prison.

Similarly, Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO of FTX, also tried to secure a federal pardon from Trump by speaking on conservative news outlets and distancing himself from the Democratic Party.

Bankman-Fried is currently serving his 25 years in prison and is housed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Terminal Island.

As the Trump administration continues to review pardon requests from the crypto industry, the fate of Legkodymov, Zhao, and Bankman-Fried remains uncertain.

The ongoing wave of clemency petitions highlights both the legal scrutiny facing digital asset executives and the evolving intersection between U.S. politics and the blockchain sector.