The United States has agreed to release Alexander Vinnik, a Russian national, as part of a prisoner exchange that secured the return of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel from Russia. Fogel returned to US soil Tuesday night, with President Donald Trump indicating another detainee would be freed as part of the exchange.
Vinnik, whose release was confirmed to the BBC by the White House, was arrested in Greece in 2017 at the request of US authorities. He operated the cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e and faced 21 counts from a US grand jury related to money laundering activities using Bitcoin.
The scale of the alleged criminal operation was substantial, with US authorities claiming Vinnik was responsible for laundering up to $4bn (ยฃ3.22bn) through the exchange. In May of last year, he pleaded guilty to the charges and was facing a potential 20-year prison sentence.
According to the US Justice Department, BTC-e served as a global platform for cyber criminals to handle proceeds from various illegal activities. These included hacking incidents, ransomware attacks, identity theft schemes, corrupt public officials, and drug sales. The department alleged that Vinnik actively promoted these activities, resulting in losses of approximately $121m.
US federal investigators noted that BTC-e operated without required anti-money laundering protocols or “Know Your Customer” (KYC) processes. The absence of customer data collection made the platform particularly attractive to criminals seeking to conceal their activities.
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