Was Russian Cyber Criminal Vinnik Freed in Exchange for Marc Fogel?

Alexander Vinnik, a Russian cybercriminal convicted of conspiracy to launder money, will be sent to Russia as a prisoner in exchange for American Marc Fogel.

In a Telegram post, the Russian news agency RT stated that an attorney for Vinnik confirmed this exchange.

The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a U.S. unnamed official, that Vinnik had been taken into custody by the U.S. in California on Wednesday morning, and was being prepped for transport to Russia.

Vinnik was the operator of BTC-e, once one world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchanges. In 2017, he was detained by Washington on suspicion of laundering $400 million through the exchange. He pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to launder money and was facing 20 years behind bars.

According to an ABC News report on X, Vinnik’s release will be conditional upon him forfeiting $100 million in criminal proceeds allegedly derived from alleged facilitated crypto transfers.

The United States is preparing to return cybercrime kingpin Alexander Vinnik to Russian custody as part of an exchange for American Marc Fogel, according to a US official. The owner and operator of one of the world’s largest currency exchanges, Vinnik was allegedly instrumental…

— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) February 12, 2025