US will trade Russian cybercriminal for released American prisoner, NYT reveals
The United States will return Alexander Vinnik, a cybercriminal convicted of cryptocurrency fraud, to Russia in exchange for the release of American citizen Marc Fogel.
Source: The New York Times, citing an unnamed US official, as reported by European Pravda
Details: The official emphasised that Vinnik had not committed violent crimes and, as part of the exchange, agreed to forfeit assets worth tens of millions of dollars.
Vinnik managed BTC-e, once one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges. He was arrested in 2017 on suspicion of laundering US$4 billion through the platform.
After legal proceedings in France and Greece, he was extradited to the US, where he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a potential 20-year prison sentence.
Background:
- On 11 December, US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff visited Moscow to retrieve Marc Fogel, a teacher who had spent over three years in Russian prison on drug possession charges.
- US President Donald Trump welcomed the American’s release and expressed hope that the move could help facilitate efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
- Meanwhile, the Kremlin stated that in exchange for Fogel, a Russian citizen currently imprisoned in the US will soon be returned to Russia.
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