Russian Cyber Crime Suspect Partially Admitted His Crime.
Alexander Vinnik, a Russian citizen involved in cybercrime, made a partial guilty plea in a US court, according to his lawyer Arkady Bukh. Vinnik, who was captured in Greece in 2017 and later convicted in France for money laundering, is currently awaiting trial in California. With the plea bargain, the legal team expects Vinnik to be sentenced to less than 10 years in prison, with that sentence reduced from a possible life sentence.
Vinnik is accused of laundering over $4 billion through the cryptocurrency bitcoin. He allegedly operated BTC-e, which the US Department of Justice described as a major cybercrime and online money laundering enterprise, a platform that catered to a clientele heavily involved in criminal activities.
The arrest in Greece took place at the request of the United States and despite Russia's repeated requests for extradition. Following his extradition to France and his conviction, which resulted in a five-year prison sentence, Vinnik was extradited to Greece and later extradited to the United States in 2022.
The US charges against Vinnik carry a maximum sentence of 55 years in prison. The plea agreement, which includes him pleading guilty to a limited number of charges, aims to significantly reduce Vinnik's potential prison time.
