BTC-e Operator Alexander Vinnik Reportedly Extradited to the US
- Alexander Vinnik the confirmed operator of BTC-e has been extradited from Greece to the US for allegedly exploiting users millions of dollars via the now-defunct BTC-e exchange.
- Vinnik was recently sentenced to five years imprisonment by a French court following allegations of manipulative schemes.
Middle-aged BTC-e operator, Alexander Vinnik has been reportedly extradited to the US to face charges over an alleged money laundering case.
According to a report from CNN on Friday, Alexander Vinnik has been extradited from Greece to the US for allegedly exploiting millions of dollars via the now-defunct BTC-e exchange.
Vinnik and His Operations at BTC-e Exchange
The accusations reveal the Russian national as the mastermind behind a cryptocurrency exchange that allegedly collaborated with ransomware gangs, drug dealers, and identity thieves. In addition, the exchange’s integration with these malicious actors saw it profiting from various hacking and extortion schemes, the report unveiled.
Apart from the recent legal actions taken against the Russian national, it appears that Vinnik has been ensnared in several legal battles over the recent years, especially for his alleged role of being the operator of BTC-e. Two years ago, Vinnik was charged with a series of malicious acts by a court in California.
According to the court, Vinnik was allegedly involved in computer intrusions and hacking incidents, ransomware scams, identity theft schemes, corrupt public officials, and narcotics distribution rings.
Moreso, the supposed cryptocurrency exchange, BTC-e has previously been confirmed responsible for the hack of Mt.Gox, the first bitcoin exchange. The incident saw Mt.Gox suffer a theft of up to 744,408 BTC, which saw the firm folding up as it could not recover from the heavy loss.
The cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e has been reportedly involved in a series of money laundering schemes and hacks that have seen it exploiting millions of dollars from its victims.
The exchange seemed to have been anonymously operated as Vinnik denied being the operator claiming he was only a worker in the company. This left the US authorities on the search for the real operator of BTC-e.
According to previous reports, Vinnik was recently sentenced to five years imprisonment by a French court following allegations of manipulative schemes.
Nonetheless, investigations have confirmed Vinnik as the real operator of BTC-e and the brain box behind the series of money laundering schemes that have seen users falling victim and suffering heavy losses.
Although it appears that Vinnik is still holding on to his claims of innocence as his lawyer in France reportedly claimed he was on a plane from Athens, Greece, to the US, where he is expected to make an initial court appearance in the US Northern District of California.
Regardless, the U.S, France, and Russia have been in the race to extradite Vinnik over several sorts of allegations. Thus, Vinnik’s extradition will mark a significant win for the US law enforcement officials as they have been in a high-stakes extradition struggle with two other countries. The US has most competed with Russia to gain custody of Vinnik.
Rebecca is a Senior Staff Writer at BitcoinWisdom, working hard to bring you the latest breaking news in the cryptocurrency market. In the words of Elon Musk “Buy stock in several companies that make products & services that *you* believe in. Only sell if you think their products & services are trending worse. Don’t panic when the market does. This will serve you well in the long-term.”
