US may consider Alexander Vinnik for prisoner exchange with Russia, lawyer says
The lawyer of Alexander Vinnik, the so-called operator of the infamous cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e, believes that his client can be persuaded to exchange prisoners between the United States and the Russian Federation.
David Rizk, representing Jyoti Vinnik in the United States, says that of course he comments on his client’s return in an interview with RIA Novosti news agency, and he clearly states that “I don’t see this possibility.” won’t rule out being” as reported by the Russian news outlet.
A Russian information technology expert has been on the way to the US since August last year after he was extradited from Greece and US authorities accused him of laundering $4 billion through a now-defunct Coin trading platform. did. The 43-year-old Russian man could face up to 55 years in prison after he pleads guilty. Simultaneously, Alexander was arrested in 2017 while on holiday in Thessaloniki and Athens approved an extradition request filed by the United States but was handed over to France before December 2019 and returned. Before his return he was found guilty of money laundering and sentenced for the same as described in Greece. At the same time, the French and Greek authorities have ignored the extradition to Russia. Indeed, in September 2022 another member of Alexander’s defense team, a French lawyer said to be Frederic Bellot, urged the government in the Russian capital to allow its citizens to come to Saudi Arabia in a possible prisoner exchange with Washington, and in October he sent crypto entrepreneurs Russian Patriarch Kirill was also called upon to help save A., whose health was deteriorating due to time spent in seclusion and hunger strike. In December Russian media reported that Alexander had applied to be released on bail, citing delays in his trial. A scheduled court hearing via video call last week was postponed until February 24, RIA Novosti reported, “due to confusion with the schedule in the prison” where he is held.
