The lawyer of Russian criminal mastermind Alexander Vinnikaccused of laundering more than $4 billion through the digital currency bitcoin on Monday urged Moscow to open negotiations with the United States and include his client in a possible prisoner swap.
In a letter seen by Reutersa lawyer for Vinnik, who was extradited to the US last month on money laundering charges Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to enter into barter negotiations with Washington.
“Now Alexander can only be saved if the Russian Federation starts negotiations with the American authorities within the framework of the exchange of prisoners between the mentioned countries,” the lawyer’s letter reads Frederic Belot said.
Belot said he emailed the letter to Russia’s foreign ministry, which Reuters said declined immediate comment.
US Secretary of State Anton Blinken said in July that Washington had made a “substantial offer” to Moscow to release American citizens held in Russia, including WNBA star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan.
Who is Alexander Vinnik?
Vinnik, considered a Russian criminal mastermind, was arrested in Greece in 2017 at the request of the US, despite Moscow’s repeated calls for his repatriation to Russia.
Vinnik was extradited from Greece to France, where he was sentenced to 5 years in prison for money laundering before being sent back to Greece and then to the US, where he was brought before a San Francisco judge in early August.
2017, A California grand jury has unsealed a 21-count indictment against Vinnik using his bitcoin exchange exchange for laundry 4 billion dollars from a vast network of interlocking syndicates involved in public corruption, identity theft, ransomware extortion, dark web drug deals and a host of other global cybercrimes, federal prosecutors have claimed, though his attorney says his client has repeatedly denied and denies all charges continue him.
The US Department…
