- The FBI has exposed an international cash-for-crypto laundering ring branded with an Elon Musk-inspired alias
- Federal agents tied the network to Indian national Anurag Murarka, who allegedly ran operations across darknet markets and encrypted apps
- After infiltrating the scheme, the FBI allowed it to continue for over a year using a confidential human source to gather evidence
A money laundering scheme posing as a cash-for-crypto service under the moniker “elonmuskwhm” has been exposed as part of a long-running FBI investigation. The operation promised Bitcoin holders discreet delivery of large sums of U.S. cash—up to $1 million per week—through encrypted deals arranged on darknet markets and messaging apps. Branded to mimic the tech billionaire’s identity, the scheme attracted scores of customers before federal agents traced it to an Indian national, infiltrated the operation, and ran it covertly for more than a year to build their case.
From Darknet to Deep Cover
The FBI first discovered “elonmuskwhm” in April 2021, advertising on darknet platforms like White House Market and Dark0de Reborn. The offer was audacious: up to $1 million in clean cash mailed weekly in exchange for cryptocurrency. “On Dark0de Reborn, ‘elonmuskwhm’ had four listings for these ‘cash by mail’ exchanges,” wrote FBI Special Agent Matthew Resch in an affidavit for the case.
In 2023, after several controlled purchases, agents arrested courier Davis Paolucci in Kentucky and found $600,000 in cash at his home. He wasn’t at the top of the ladder, however; authorities soon flipped another insider—a Confidential Human Source (CHS)—who had been working directly with “elonmuskwhm.”
The FBI Takes Over
Following Paolucci’s arrest, what followed was a rare move: instead of shutting the network down, the FBI “continued to engage in cash pickups” in order to ensnare other members of the gang. Over a series of ten monitored exchanges involving nearly $2 million, the FBI observed and documented the laundering process in real-time. Pen/trap devices were placed on WhatsApp numbers, and post-exchange photo messages helped tie the scheme to Indian businessman Anurag Pramod Murarka.
The tradecraft was elaborate; Murarka, using the alias “nomorehardwork,” verified exchanges with unique dollar bill serial numbers. “It is likely that the dollar bill tradecraft uses the serial number as a means of three-way identification,” the affidavit notes, describing the secure verification between Murarka, the CHS, and in-person couriers.
Building the Case, One Apple ID at a Time
By linking Telegram, WhatsApp, and Google accounts to Murarka’s Apple ID, investigators built a digital trail of communication, crypto transactions, and financial records. Apple iCloud data, which includes backups of messages and app data, became a primary target for evidence.
To protect the ongoing probe, the court sealed the warrant and barred Apple from alerting the user for one year. “There is reason to believe that notification… will seriously jeopardize the investigation,” wrote Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Dieruf. With a search warrant now issued for Murarka’s Apple account, however, the full scope of this crypto-enabled operation is coming to light.
The Musk-inspired branding may have been a gimmick, but the operation itself was real—and far-reaching. By taking it over and running it from the inside, the FBI turned a shadowy crypto-laundering business into a case study in long-term digital surveillance.
