Having served, accused BTC-e Alexander Vinnik has now been extradited to the U.S. to face multiple charges in California.
Accused BTC-e mastermind Alexander Vinnik has reportedly been extradited to America to face up to multiple charges relating to money laundering while working at the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange, after two years in prison in France
Vinnik has been involved in legal battles over the past five years for his alleged role as the mastermind of BTC-e. The cryptocurrency exchange is alleged to have profited from various illicit activities that used the platform to launder some $4 billion worth of Bitcoin (BTC).
Vinnik’s lawyer Frédéric Bélot told American news network CNN on Aug. 5 that Vinnik was in transfer from Greece to the United States, where he’s set to face a number of charges in the Northern District Court of California. The Russian national is the defendant of money laundering and operating an unlicensed money service in America, in addition to other charges.
Vinnik’s lawyers had launched an appeal, mentioning that Vinnik was just an employee of the exchange and had no involvement in illicit activities at BTC-e, though the appeal was unsuccessful
Vinnik was originally arrested in 2017 in Greece while on holiday, with America, France, and Russia fighting for his extradition from that point onwards. Greece’s Council of State choose to extradite Vinnik to France in early 2020, in spite of numerous attempts by Russia to request his transit to their jurisdiction.
Reportedly, Vinnik had agreed to an extradition request from Russia, given that he faced far less serious charges. While Vinnik faces up to 55 years in prison in America with 21 counts of unlicensed money service business, money laundering, and related crimes filed by the Department of Justice.
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