Alexander Vinnik, a 38-year-old Russian man suspected of running a money laundering operation using bitcoin, is escorted by police officers to a court in Athens, December 13, 2017. [Costas Baltas/Reuters]
Russian cybercriminal Alexander Vinnik was released from US custody as part of a prisoner swap on Thursday and is expected to arrive in Russia within hours, according to a statement from his lawyer, Arkady Bukh, sent to Kathimerini English.
“We have been informed that our client has arrived in Turkey and is currently on another flight en route to Russia. We anticipate his arrival at Moscow airport within the next few hours,” the statement read.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Wednesday that Vinnik was exchanged for American teacher Marc Fogel, who arrived in the U.S. on Tuesday.
Vinnik had a closed-door hearing on Tuesday, and ever since, his whereabouts had remained unknown.
“We can also confirm that a recent hearing took place in the U.S. Federal Court concerning Mr. Vinnik. However, due to the judge’s ruling, the hearing materials have been classified, and we are unable to comment on its proceedings or content,” Bukh’s statement read.
Vinnik, known as “Mr. Bitcoin,” was arrested while vacationing in Greece in July 2017 on a U.S. warrant for laundering over $4 billion through his crypto exchange, BTC-e. After spending two years in a French prison, he was extradited to the U.S. in 2022. In May 2024, he pleaded guilty to money laundering.
Bukh had previously attempted to include Vinnik in a US-Russia prisoner exchange in August, but he was not included at the time.
