Category Archives: Alexander Vinnik

Alexander Vinnik heads to trial in France on ransomware, money laundering charges

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Accused Russian cybercriminal Alexander Vinnik’s legal odyssey continues Monday in Paris, where he faces trial on charges of extortion, money laundering and involvement in organized crime. It’s the latest milestone in a case that spans multiple countries: Vinnik was arrested in 2017 in Greece, which extradited him to France this year with the understanding that he was also wanted in the U.S. and Russia. French and U.S. prosecutors allege Vinnik helped create the infamous Locky ransomware and then launder the resulting bitcoin ransom payments through the BTC-e cryptocurrency exchange. French prosecutors are focusing on $157 million that the alleged scheme captured from French organizations. The U.S. Department of Justice says he laundered about $4 billion while running BTC-e, which also allegedly provided services to other scams. In Russia, he faces smaller-scale charges of fraud. Vinnik’s arrival in France in January followed a nearly two-year battle over where Greek authorities would send the 41-year-old, who […]

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New Zealand freezes $90 million connected to accused bitcoin launderer Alexander Vinnik

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Authorities in New Zealand have seized the equivalent of $90 million in assets as part of an investigation into a Russian man accused of laundering cybercriminal funds through a global cryptocurrency exchange. The New Zealand Police announced Monday it had taken control of the funds, equivalent to $140 million in New Zealand dollars, belonging to Alexander Vinnik, the alleged operator of BTC-e, a currency trading platform shuttered by the U.S. government in 2017. The exchange effectively functioned as a money laundering operation for internet scammers engaged in computer hacking, ransomware attacks, fraud and illicit drug sales, according to New Zealand Police Commissioner Andrew Coster. “New Zealand Police has worked closely with the Internal Revenue Service of the United States to address this very serious offending,” Coster said in a statement. “These funds are likely to reflect the profit gained from the victimization of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of […]

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Greece U-Turns — Now Approves Mr. Bitcoin’s Extradition To Russia

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Greece just took another U-turn.

Mr. Bitcoin a.k.a. Alexander Vinnik is not going to France nor to the United States; instead, he is now possibly going to his homeland Russia.

The Supreme Civil and Criminal Court of Greece on Friday has overruled pre… Continue reading Greece U-Turns — Now Approves Mr. Bitcoin’s Extradition To Russia→

BTC-e Operator, Accused of Laundering $4 Billion, to be Extradited to France

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In a legal extradition tug-of-war between the United States and Russia, it seems France has won the game, surprisingly.

A Greek court has ruled to extradite the Russian cybercrime suspect and the former operator of now-defunct BTC-e crypto exchange to… Continue reading BTC-e Operator, Accused of Laundering $4 Billion, to be Extradited to France→

Russian cybercrime suspect to be extradited to France despite Moscow’s objections

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Russian cybercrime suspect Alexander Vinnik will be extradited to France after a Greek court ruling Friday. Vinnik, 38, has pleaded not guilty to charges of laundering $4 billion in bitcoin while running the cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e. Although Vinnik was arrested under a U.S. warrant, Greek authorities will extradite him to France where he is charged with hacking, money laundering, extortion and involvement in organized crime. The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized the ruling and said the country will look to a response. Vinnik’s lawyer is filing a response, according to Russia’s TASS news agency. “Several days after taking an unfriendly decision to expel Russian diplomats and to deny entry to several Russian citizens, they have adopted a decision to extradite Russian citizen Alexander Vinnik to France,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement. “It is obvious that Russia cannot leave these actions unanswered.” The decision marks the latest chapter in a months-long intense legal battle over Vinnik’s fate. Vinnik is […]

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Russian cybercrime suspect’s extradition to be decided by Greek government

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The battle between the United States and Russia over Russian cybercrime suspect Alexander Vinnik’s extradition from Greece was complicated on Wednesday when a Greek court ruled in favor of the Russian effort to extradite Vinnik over the U.S. effort. Russian media outlet RIA Novosti reports that Vinnik will face charges of fraud in Russia on the scale of around $11,000. This week’s ruling follows another ruling by a separate panel of Greek judges that agreed to send Vinnik to the U.S., which seeks to extradite him on charges that he ran the cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e and engaged in money laundering to the tune of $4 billion. Vinnik’s fate will fall to Greece’s Supreme Court where a hearing will take place within the next three weeks. Greece’s justice minister Nikos Paraskevopoulos has the final say in where Vinnik ends up. Vinnik, 37, pleaded not guilty all charges. He has repeatedly fought for extradition to Russia where he faces far less serious […]

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Spanish court will extradite Russian cybercriminal suspect to U.S.

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Spain will extradite Russian citizen and accused hacker Peter Levashov to the United States, where he is charged with operating one of the world’s largest botnets, Kelihos. On Tuesday, Spain’s high court decided to grant the American request and send Levashov, 36, to the U.S. after he was arrested in Barcelona while on vacation. Operating with over 10,000 enslaved computers, the Kelihos botnet was online from 2010. The U.S. charges that the botnet’s consequences include mass password theft, spreading of malware, millions of spam emails and schemes to illegally profit off stocks in pump-and-dump schemes. From 5 percent to 10 percent of Kelihos victims reside in the United States, according to the Justice Department. “The ability of botnets like Kelihos to be weaponized quickly for vast and varied types of harms is a dangerous and deep threat to all Americans, driving at the core of how we communicate, network, earn a living and live our everyday […]

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U.S., Russia fighting to extradite suspected Russian cybercriminal who ran $4 billion bitcoin exchange

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The case against the Russian cybercrime suspect Alexander Vinnik opened in a Greek courtroom on Friday with two world powers sparring over who will extradite the Russian citizen. Vinnik, 37, pleaded not guilty to charges from the United States that he ran the cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e and engaged in money laundering at the scale of $4 billion. His lawyer is fighting extradition to California where federal charges were filed against him. He was arrested on those charges while he vacationed in Greece over the summer. A decision on the U.S. request is set to be made by Oct. 4. Vinnik, a Russian national, also faces charges in Russia in a separate fraud case that will reach a Greek court next week. Vinnik’s lawyer said he won’t fight that extradition request, indicating a preference of Moscow over the United States. The U.S. Justice Department describes Vinnik as the man behind BTC-e, […]

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