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According to US officials, Russian Alexander Vinnik, who ran the cryptocurrency platform BTC-E, will be released as part of the exchange that freed American teacher Mark Vogel.
Vinnik, who was arrested while on vacation in Greece in 2017 and handed over to the US, was accused of washing billions of dollars worth of Bitcoin through BTC-E.
He is detained in Northern California, awaiting transport to Russia. He must confiscate $100 million as a condition for his release.
“We see this as a fair exchange. It wasn’t a merchant for the death of a basketball player,” officials said in a statement from Russia, which the US released in 2022 in exchange for WNBA player Britney Griner. He said in a clear reference to weapons dealer Viktor Bout.
Vinnik accused BTC-E of helping to wash money for crime syndicates around the world in 2017, promoting identity theft and drug trafficking, and winning more than $4 billion in Bitcoin It was done. He pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Prosecutors also alleged that BTC-E was involved in ransomware attacks and other cybercriminal activities.
Vogel was released Tuesday and received it late that night by President Donald Trump, Republican Congress leader and special envoy Steve Witkoff at the White House.
Trump declined to comment on whether he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin about Vogel.
Witkov flew to Moscow on a private jet on Tuesday to negotiate a deal to secure Vogel’s return.
The White House described the release of America as a show of “integrity” from Moscow, supporting consultations to end the war in Ukraine. US national security adviser Mike Waltz said on Tuesday that it is “a sign that it is moving in the right direction to end a brutal and terrible war in Ukraine.”
Vogel was detained in 2021 for possession of medical marijuana and was sentenced to 14 years in Russia.
When he arrived at the White House, he said he was “in a dream world now.”
