The BTC-E operator was launched in the US prisoners ’exchange in Russia

The Russian National Phenik Phenic, who was previously condemned to manage billions of dollars in money laundering, was released through the BTC-E Crypto exchange, in an exchange of prisoners between Russia and the United States.

On the other hand, Moscow released the American school teacher, Mark Vogel, who was detained on drug charges.

The role of Phoenic in BTC-E and legal problems

Vinnik operated the BTC-E platform from 2011 to 2017 when the police arrested him in Greece at the request of American law enforcement agencies.

According to the US Department of Justice, the stock exchange of more than 9 billion dollars has been treated over six years, and many of them are allegedly associated with crimes such as ransom attacks, drug smuggling, and identity theft.

The authorities claim that the BTC-E’s lack of money laundering (AML) and the knowledge policies known to (KYC) made it attractive to electronic criminals.

Vinnik was delivered to France in 2020 and was sentenced to five years in prison for money laundering. It was later sent to Greece before it was finally delivered to the Americans in 2022.

In May 2024, the Russian admitted that he was guilty of conspiracy to commit money laundering and faced up to 20 years in prison. During his trial, Public Prosecutors accused Phoenic of facilitating more than $ 120 million of losses and described BTC-E as “a large entity in the field of online money.”

Millions of dollars of assets belonging to the platform, including 90 million dollars, have been seized by the authorities in New Zealand. In addition, the US Treasury imposed a fine of $ 120 million on the stock exchange, where Phoenic personally faces a $ 12 million penalty.

Long -term delivery battle

Before transferring to the United States, the 45 -year -old was in an international legal battle center that includes France, Russia and the United States.

While Russia sought to hand it over for the least fraud of only 11,000 dollars, France and the United States have followed wider financial crimes. In 2023, his lawyer tried to include him in the US prisoner’s escape in Russia, which included journalist Ivan Geshvich, but he did not succeed.

for him exchange For Vogel, an American teacher who has been detained in Russia, represents a rare moment of cooperation between the two countries, especially against the continuous background of Ukraine war. Vinnik will have to lose tens of millions of dollars as part of the deal.