The US has indicted 12 Russian foreign nationals for hacking, conspiracy and money laundering for allegedly interfering with the 2016 US presidential election. According to the indictment, Russia operated an intelligence agency called GRU which obtained confidential documents from the Clinton campaign systems by hacking and systematically released them to sway public opinion. According to the Indictment, the Russian hackers spoofed computers with fake Google emails to obtain access to computer emails and databases containing documents related to Hilliary Clinton and her presidential campaign.
The hackers, in what they believed was a move to avoid detection, used Bitcoin and the same Bitcoin wallet address to rent a server in Malaysia, register domain names and pay for other services. In total, they are alleged to have laundered $95,000 worth of Bitcoin in furtherance of their hacking activities. They also mined Bitcoin from their computers in order to pay for services. Unlike cash and other types of financial transactions, Bitcoin can be traced backwards online, even with tumblers and such, for financial crime purposes, and unlike traditional financial transactions, the identity of the owner of a Bitcoin wallet can also be determined.