One for one: the United States released Russian citizen Alexander Vinnik
Russian Alexander Vinnik, who was detained in 2017 by US intelligence services on charges of money laundering on a large scale, was released from a US prison as part of a prisoner exchange. This was reported to "Izvestia" on February 12 by his lawyer Frederic Belo. Earlier, Russia released teacher and ex-diplomat Mark Vogel, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for drug smuggling. More about what he was doing and what the Russian was accused of - in the material "Izvestia".
Prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States
Alexander Vinnik, 45-year-old programmer and employee of the scandalously famous crypto exchange BTC, was detained in 2017 and since 2022 was in an American prison. He was due to be sentenced in the summer of 2025. He was accused of money laundering on a large scale in the US and could have faced a life sentence on all charges.
However, on the evening of February 12, 2025, it became known that the case of the Russian was closed, and Vinnik himself is no longer on the list of prisoners.
As explained by White House press secretary Carolyn Levitt, the man will soon be transferred to Russia, but he will lose $100 million, which, according to the U.S., the programmer received "as a result of his illegal actions."
The issue of exchanging Alexander for an imprisoned American in Russia has been raised more than once. Lawyers noted that during his imprisonment in the U.S., his health has deteriorated greatly - he had problems with vision and stomach, he complained of frequent headaches and other ailments.
Recall, the day before it became known that Russia handed over to the United States 63-year-old schoolteacher Mark Vogel, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for drug smuggling.
For what Alexander Vinnik was arrested: charges, extradition
Alexander Vinnik was arrested in 2017, when he was on vacation in Greece. It was done at the request of the United States, where he was accused of carrying out cryptocurrency fraud, money laundering, participation in drug trafficking and other crimes. A total of 21 charges were brought against him.
Some of them concerned the allegedly founded by him online exchange BTC-e (now defunct), engaged in the exchange of various cryptocurrencies, including bitcoins, for dollars, euros and rubles. The daily turnover of the exchange was estimated at $66 million. According to Vinnik himself, he was only a technical specialist and consultant for the exchange's clients, but not the creator.
The American side believed that:
- BTC-e crypto exchange was used by cybercriminals around the world for laundering and storing criminal funds, paying bribes, and drug trafficking;
- Alexander Vinnik used the platform to steal users' personal data;
- a Russian citizen was involved in the 2011-2014 hacking of the Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Mt. Gox. He allegedly stole several hundred thousand bitcoins worth $2 billion. The money, as counted in the U.S., was legalized by Alexander through his platform BTC-e.
Vinnik himself has repeatedly stated that he is not guilty of the crimes imputed to him.
Despite this, Alexander stayed in Greece until 2020, from where he was extradited to Paris, as France suspected the programmer of extortion, data theft and money laundering through the exchange. There he was sentenced to five years in prison. In 2022, Vinnik was extradited again, this time to the United States. There he faced a life sentence, but the Russian made a deal with the investigation and partially admitted guilt. The final decision on his sentence was to be made in 2025, he could face 55 years in prison.
Another country that added to the extradition of Alexander Vinnik was Russia. Here, according to the prosecutor's office, under the pretext of supplying equipment, he stole money in the amount of more than 600 thousand rubles. In addition, the man was accused of fraud in the field of computer information in the amount of 750 million rubles.
In September 2022, Vinnik's lawyer Frederic Belo appealed to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with a request to deal with the exchange of the Russian.
Worsening health of Vinnik in the US prison
In the United States, Alexander Vinnik was in Santa Rita prison, located in the state of California. The conditions of detention and prison food led to the fact that Vinnik had various problems. He began to see worse and complained of stomach pains. In addition, as Alexander himself said, he had no access to medicines in prison, and there were not enough doctors there. According to him, if a prisoner had a headache, he had to buy medicine himself. As a result, the Russian began to complain of frequent headaches, as well as sleep problems due to the constant noise.
What is known about Alexander Vinnik
Alexander was born on August 16, 1979 in Kurgan, and after school he moved to Moscow, where he was engaged in Internet projects. In 2011-2017, he cooperated with the online exchange BTC-e.
Alexander has two children in Russia.
What awaits Alexander Vinnik in Russia is unknown, but his mother previously told Izvestia that if her son is guilty, he will serve time in Russia, if they say so.
Earlier in a conversation with "Izvestia" Vinnik said that, having returned to Russia, the first thing he would do is visit his wife's grave and go to church (in 2017, Alexander's wife was diagnosed with brain cancer). According to Vinnik's mother, amid the stress of Alexander's arrest, the disease quickly progressed, and the woman died.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
