Over six years, Payza sought to create a convenient way for criminals to make financial transactions, officials say .
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged popular online payment processor Payza.com with laundering over $250 million connected to criminal activities ranging from Ponzi schemes to child pornography, federal prosecutors in Washington said on Tuesday.
The charges against Payza co-founders Firoz Patel, 43, and Ferhan Patel, 37, were already filed in November 2016, but only made public this week. The Canadian brothers stand accused of operating the cryptocurrency-friendly platform beyond the regulatory confines of the United States, in what prosecutors called a shadowy netherworld of cyberfinance.