US May Consider Alexander Vinnik for Prisoner Exchange With Russia, Lawyer Says

Crypto alternate BTC-e’s alleged operator Alexander Vinnik could also be a candidate for prisoner swap between the United States and Russia. That’s in response to an announcement by considered one of his attorneys for Russian media. The newest court docket listening to in Vinnik’s case has been postponed.

Russian Accused of Laundering Billions Through Crypto May Return Home, According to Lawyer

A lawyer for Alexander Vinnik, alleged operator of the notorious cryptocurrency alternate BTC-e, believes that his consumer could also be thought-about for an alternate of prisoners between the United States and the Russian Federation.

David Rizk, who represents Vinnik within the U.S., commented on Vinnik’s potential return house in an interview with the RIA Novosti information company, quoted by different Russian media and crypto information shops. “I wouldn’t rule out that possibility,” he mentioned.

The Russian IT specialist has been in U.S. custody since August, final 12 months, when he was extradited from Greece. American authorities accuse him of laundering not less than $4 billion by way of the now-defunct coin buying and selling platform. If discovered responsible, the 43-year-old Russian faces as much as 55 years in jail.

Alexander Vinnik was arrested whereas on trip in Thessaloniki in 2017. Athens authorized an extradition request filed by the United States however handed him over to France first, in December 2019, the place he served a five-year sentence for cash laundering earlier than he was returned to Greece. French and Greek authorities have ignored Russia’s extradition requests.

In September, 2022, one other member of Vinnik’s protection staff, French lawyer Frederic Belot, urged the federal government in Moscow so as to add its citizen to a doable prisoner swap cope with Washington. In October, he additionally called on the Russian Patriarch Kirill to assist “save” the crypto entrepreneur, whose well being has been deteriorating after time spent in solitary confinement and a starvation strike.

In December, Russian media reported that Alexander Vinnik has applied for launch on bail citing the delay of his trial. Last week, a scheduled court docket listening to by way of video name was postponed till Feb. 24 “due to confusion with the schedule in the prison” the place he’s held, in response to the RIA Novosti report.

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