US assistant attorney general commends Estonia's efforts in combating cyber crime

TALLINN - During his visit to Estonia, Assistant Attorney General for the criminal division in the United States Department of Justice Kenneth A. Polite said that Estonia is at the forefront of combating cyber crime and thanked the Estonians for their continued cooperation in seeking justice for victims.

At a meeting with Estonian Prosecutor General Andres Parmas and deputy secretary general for internal security at the Ministry of the Interior Veiko Kommusaar, Polite discussed recent bilateral cooperation in law enforcement with regard to two Estonian citizens arrested on Nov. 20, Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turogin, who are suspected of involvement in a 575-million-dollar cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering conspiracy that caused damages to hundreds of thousands of victims.

"Combating the criminal use of digital assets is a priority for both of our countries. Such law enforcement activities demonstrate the successful coordination and cooperation of US and Estonian law enforcement agencies. Estonia has been at the forefront of combating these cyber crimes that affect us all and we want to thank the Estonians for their continued cooperation in seeking justice for victims," the US assistant attorney general said.

"Estonia is an excellent partner and ally. I enjoyed visiting Tallinn and getting an overview of Estonia's views of our cooperation in tackling international crime, such as cyber crime, corruption and money laundering," he added.

As assistant attorney general for the criminal division in the US Department of Justice, Polite supervises the division’s more than 600 federal prosecutors who conduct investigations and prosecutions involving organized and transnational crime, gang violence, securities fraud, health care fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations, public corruption, cyber crime, intellectual property theft, money laundering, Bank Secrecy Act violations, child exploitation, international narcotics trafficking, human rights violations, and other crimes, as well as matters involving international affairs and sensitive law enforcement techniques.