Alexander Vinnik, the Russian cybercrime suspect arrested in Greece in 2017 and later convicted of money laundering in France, has entered a partial guilty plea, according to his lawyer cited by TASS news agency on Saturday.
His lawyer, Arkady Bukh, disclosed that Vinnik’s plea agreement is expected to result in a prison term of less than 10 years, a significant reduction from the possibility of life imprisonment.
Vinnik’s guilty plea encompasses a limited number of charges, as stated by Bukh, who highlighted the culmination of negotiations with the prosecutor’s office.
Initially accused of laundering over $4 billion through bitcoin, Vinnik’s legal journey has seen extradition from Greece to France, where he received a five-year sentence for money laundering, before ultimately being transferred to the United States in 2022.
The US Department of Justice has alleged Vinnik’s involvement in operating BTC-e, a platform facilitating cybercrime and online money laundering, with potential penalties amounting to 55 years in prison.
Despite ongoing extradition demands from Moscow, Vinnik’s case continues to unfold as he navigates the complex legal landscape across multiple jurisdictions.
