Jailed BTC-e operator Vinnik released in US-Russia prisoner swap

• US
  to
  release
  jailed
  BTC-e
  operator
  Alexander
  Vinnik
  in
  a
  prisoner
  swap
  with
  Russia.
• Vinnik,
  arrested
  in
  2017,
  is
  part
  of
  the
  exchange
  that
  saw
  Russia
  release
  jailed
  US
  schoolteacher
  Marc
  Fogel.

Alexander
Vinnik,
jailed
in
the
US
after
being
convicted
on
charges
of
money
laundering,
is
being
released
as
part
of
a
prisoner
swap.

The
former
operator
of
the
Russian
crypto
exchange
BTC-e
will
head
to
Russia
after
the
Kremlin
reportedly
agreed
to
an
exchange
involving
US
national
Marc
Fogel.

According
to
the
BBC,
the
White
House
confirmed
the
prisoner
exchange,with
Trump
having
spoken
to
Fogel.The
schoolteacher
left
Russia
on
Tuesday,
Feb.
11.

Who
is
Vinnik?

Alexander
Vinnik,
44,
is
a
crypto
kingpin
that
operated
the
Bitcoin
exchange
BTC-e.
Authorities
arrested
Vinnik
in
2017
in
Greece,
with
the
Department
of
Justice
filing
charges
of
money
laundering
involving
nearly
$4
billion.

According
to
prosecutors,
Vinnik
allowed
cyber
criminals
to
use
BTC-e
to
launder
and
store
proceeds
of
crimes,
including
crypto
hacks,
ransomware
attacks
and
identity
theft.

The
Russian
national’s
reign
at
the
helm
of
the
exchange
saw
him
promote
the
platform
to
perpetrators
of
these
crimes.
US
authorities
blamed
him
for
the
loss
of
$121
million.

Notably,
New
Zealand
police
also

seized
$90
million
from
the
BTC-e
operator.

Vinnik’s
guilty
plea
in
May
2024
meant
he
faced
up
to
20
years
in
prison.

The
prisoner
swap
that
sees
him
leave
custody
comes
after
his
lawyers
failed
in
a
previous
attempt
to
have
included
in
other
US-Russia
prisoner
exchanges.
One
such
push
involved
the
deal
that
saw
Evan
Gershkovich,
a
Wall
Street
Journal
reporter
formerly
imprisoned
in
Russia,
released.