The US will release a Russian in exchange for school teacher Mark Vogel. Alexander Vinnik was one of the founders of BTC-e, a now-defunct bitcoin exchange that criminals used to launder funds from ransomware attacks, drug trafficking and other crimes. Vinnik was arrested in 2017 and pleaded guilty to money laundering in 2024.
The US will release a Russian in exchange for school teacher Mark Vogel. Alexander Vinnik was one of the founders of BTC-e, a now-defunct bitcoin exchange that criminals used to launder funds from ransomware attacks, drug trafficking and other crimes. Vinnik was arrested in 2017 and pleaded guilty to money laundering in 2024.
Vinnik, a Russian citizen who ran the cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e, was arrested in Greece at the request of US authorities, who believed he was responsible for laundering $4 billion through the exchange, the BBC reported .
He pleaded guilty to the charges last May and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
According to the US Department of Justice, BTC-e has been used by cybercriminals around the world to transfer, launder, and store the proceeds of illegal crimes, including hacking, ransomware, identity theft schemes, corrupt government officials, and drug trafficking.
Vinnik allegedly used BTC-e to promote this activity, and US authorities said at the time that he was responsible for the loss of about $121 million.
