DOJ arrests Moneyflip CEO over alleged murder-for-hire plot involving 25,000 $USDT

U.S. authorities arrested Moneyflip LLC CEO Marcos Arturo Kleiman Tronllan in Miami on July 30 after prosecutors accused him of arranging a murder-for-hire scheme and using cryptocurrency in the alleged payments. A criminal complaint says he hired undercover agents posing as hitmen to kidnap and kill a Mexican businessman over an unpaid debt, then made cash deposits and a final transfer of about 25,000 USDT to an undercover wallet. The case emerged from a broader investigation into money exchange businesses operating near the U.S.-Mexico border. Investigators allege Kleiman used his business to evade Bank Secrecy Act reporting rules and launder drug-trafficking proceeds through cross-border currency transactions. Court documents say undercover Homeland Security Investigations agents approached him in February seeking to convert U.S. dollars presented as drug proceeds into cryptocurrency, and prosecutors said he converted about $750,000 and charged a 10% fee. Moneyflip, formerly operated as MXN Financial LLC before changing its name to Moneyflip LLC in 2025, is identified by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California as a registered money services business offering cross-border currency exchange services. Kleiman, 40, is a Mexican citizen and lawful permanent resident of the United States who previously lived and worked in San Diego, according to prosecutors. Kleiman faces one count of murder-for-hire under 18 U.S.C. § 1958(a). If convicted, that charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Prosecutors noted that the complaint contains allegations and that Kleiman is presumed innocent unless convicted.