Large bitcoin payment made to far-right individuals before US Capitol attack

Payments in bitcoin worth more than $500,000 were made to 22 different virtual wallets, most of them belonging to far-right activists and internet personalities, before the storming of the US Capitol, cryptocurrency compliance startup Chainalysis said on Friday.

The payments, made by a French donor, of 28.15 bitcoins were made on Dec. 8, the New York-based startup, specializing in countering money laundering and fraud in the digital currency space, said in a blog post.

Chainalysis said it now has evidence that many alt-right groups and personalities received large bitcoin donations as part of the single transaction.

“We have also gathered evidence that strongly suggests the donor was a now-deceased computer programmer based in France,” Chainalysis said in the report.