Alexander Vinnik may have been connected to the Mt Gox exchange.
The United States has released Alexander Vinnik, a Russian national accused of cybercrimes, as part of a prisoner exchange.
According to Reuters, Vinnik was the operator of BTC-e, a now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange linked to laundering $4 billion in illicit funds. US authorities connected him to the 2014 collapse of the Japan-based bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox, alleging he laundered funds stolen from the platform.
He was arrested in Greece in 2017 and later extradited to France before being sent to the US, where he pleaded guilty in May 2024 to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Facing a potential 20-year sentence, his sentencing was postponed in November of that year.
The US Department of Justice has described BTC-e as a key platform for cybercriminals involved in hacking, ransomware, and fraud. The prisoner exchange secured the freedom of Marc Fogel, an American teacher who was imprisoned in Russia for drug-related charges.
Some reports suggest Vinnik has access to substantial bitcoin reserves tied to the Mt. Gox breach, which could explain Russia’s interest in his release.
Written by
Dan Raywood
Senior Editor
SC Media UK
Dan Raywood is a B2B journalist with more than 20 years of experience, including covering cybersecurity for the past 16 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes.
He has spoken at events including 44CON, Infosecurity Europe, RANT Conference, BSides Scotland, Steelcon and ESET Security Days.
Outside work, Dan enjoys supporting Tottenham Hotspur, managing mischievous cats, and sampling craft beers.
