- Alexander Vinnik has been used as part of a prisoner swap with Russia
- Vinnik, who laundered hundreds of thousands of stolen MtGox bitcoins, will be returned to Russia
- He was set to face decades in prison over his hacking crimes
After years of trying, MtGox launderer and BTC-e co-founder Alexander Vinnik is finally a free man after being used in a US prisoner exchange. Vinnik, who admitted to laundering billions of dollars worth of bitcoins stolen from MtGox between 2011 and 2014, was used in an exchange with American schoolteacher Marc Fogel, who was arrested in August 2021 for trying to enter Russia with 0.6 ounces of medical cannabis. Vinnik has been overlooked for prisoner swap deals for years, to the point where it looked as if he was going to serve a lengthy sentence in the US, only for his legal team to finally get their way.
MtGox Hacker and BTC-e Co-Founder
Vinnik was a co-founder of BTC-e, a cryptocurrency exchange that quickly became a haven for illicit transactions. Founded in 2011, BTC-e operated with little to no regulatory oversight, allowing users to launder bitcoins obtained through ransomware attacks, hacking operations, and other criminal activities. Among the most notable funds laundered through BTC-e were hundreds of thousands of bitcoins belonging to MtGox customers, as Russian hackers carried out a years-long raid on the exchange. BTC-e’s lack of user identification policies made it the exchange of choice for cybercriminals, leading law enforcement agencies to scrutinize its operations.
BTC-e’s reign came to an abrupt end in July 2017 when authorities shut it down on the same day Vinnik was arrested in Greece on a U.S. warrant. His arrest set off a protracted legal struggle between the U.S., France, and Russia, each vying for his extradition. Russia sought to bring him back under charges many considered fabricated, while the U.S. aimed to prosecute him for running an unlicensed money service business, money laundering, and related offenses. Meanwhile, France’s involvement was facilitated by its EU membership, which allowed it to cut through bureaucratic red tape.
Despite Russia’s aggressive attempts—including Vinnik going on hunger strike to push for extradition to his homeland—Greece ultimately ruled in favor of France in January 2020. Vinnik was extradited and subsequently convicted in December 2020 on charges of money laundering, receiving a five-year sentence and a €100,000 fine. However, the court dismissed more severe charges of cybercrime and extortion. After serving just one year of his sentence, Vinnik was sent back to Greece, where the U.S. swiftly took custody of him, continuing its years-long pursuit.
Vinnik a Free Man?
In the U.S., Vinnik faced a 21-count indictment related to money laundering and BTC-e’s role in facilitating criminal enterprises, including drug trafficking and ransomware schemes. His involvement in Russian cyber operations, particularly in the context of U.S. election meddling, added further weight to the American authorities’ determination to prosecute him.
Initially, Vinnik pleaded not guilty and prepared for trial, only to change his plea in April 2024—likely in exchange for a deal that may have involved providing U.S. authorities with information on Russian hacking activities. Despite his guilty plea, Vinnik still faced the possibility of spending decades in an American prison, with his legal team desperately attempting to have him included as a party in US-Russia prisoner swaps, notably the Viktor Bout–Brittney Griner swap. However, these efforts proved unsuccessful until it was confirmed by the White House that Vinnik and Fogel would swap countries as part of a deal that also saw Belarus free three detainees after a U.S. representative travelled to Minsk to negotiate their release.
The deal means that, instead of potentially serving decades behind bars, Alexander Vinnik is finally getting what he has been demanding since 2017: a return to Russia. Technically, Russia should be trying Vinnik on the computer hacking charges it served to try and lure him away during his Greek detention, but there is every likelihood that these were dropped long ago, given their tenuous nature. Instead, Vinnik will almost certainly be a free man in Russia, ready to loose his hacking talents on the world once again.
