The founder of crypto exchange Bitzlato, who is facing a money laundering case in the U.S., is seeking support from members of the community. Anatoly Legkodymov was arrested in January for his role in the trading platform which allegedly processed millions of dollars’ worth of illicit funds.

Anatoly Legkodymov, one of the founders and majority owner of the Russia-linked cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato, has turned to the crypto community, hoping to find U.S. citizens who would agree to become guarantors for his release on bail.

The Hong Kong-registered trading platform was disrupted in mid-January by law enforcement in Europe, where French investigators seized its servers and hot wallet while several of its employees and executives were detained in other countries.

Legkodymov, a Russian national residing in China, was apprehended in Miami on money laundering charges. The U.S. Justice Department claims his exchange transferred at least $700 million in criminal proceeds from ransomware actors, darknet markets, and crypto pyramids.

This week, Legkodymov issued his call for help through crypto media. U.S. law allows defendants to be released before a decision is made in their case, provided they find guarantors for their bail, his lawyers explained, quoted by the Russian crypto news outlet Bits.media.