Russian crypto expert Alexander Vinnik returns to Moscow in Russia-US prisoner swap, reports say

Alexander Vinnik, a Russian cryptocurrency expert who faced Bitcoin fraud charges in the United States, returned to Russia on Thursday after being freed in a swap that saw Moscow release American Marc Fogel, Russian news agency reported.

Alexander Vinnik arrived in Moscow on a flight from Turkey, where he was flown after being released from custody in California, Russia’s state Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies reported, citing his lawyer.

Vinnik, who operated cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e, was arrested in 2017 in Greece at the request of the U.S. on cryptocurrency fraud charges and was later extradited to the United States where he pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit money laundering.


Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for U.S. President Donald Trump, left Russia with Fogel earlier in the week and brought him to the White House, where Trump greeted him on Tuesday.