BTC-e Mastermind Alexander Vinnik extradited to the US

Reports have it that BTC-e operator Alexander Vinnik has reportedly been extradited to America.

Vinnik is being accused of money laundering while working at the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange.

Vinnik has faced legal battles over the past five years for his alleged role as the mastermind of BTC-e.

BTC-e reportedly profited from various illicit activities that used the platform to launder some $4 billion worth of Bitcoin (BTC).

Vinnik’s lawyer Frédéric Bélot told American news network CNN on Aug. 5 that Vinnik was in transit from Greece to the United States.

The Russian national will face a raft of charges in the Northern District Court of California.

Vinnik is accused of money laundering and operating an unlicensed money service in America, in addition to other charges.

The accused has already been serving a five-year sentence in France since December 2020 after he was convicted for money laundering as part of an organized criminal group.

Vinnik was originally arrested in Greece while on holiday in 2017.

America, France and Russia had scrambled for his extradition from that point onwards.

Vinnik faces up to 55 years in prison in America with 21 counts of unlicensed money service business, money laundering and related crimes filed by the Department of Justice.

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