Bitcoin laundering suspect caught in US, Russia extradition spat
File PhotoAlexander Vinnik is a popular man with both the United States and Russia fighting over which country has the right to charge the suspected Bitcoin laundering mastermind.
Vinnik, a 38-year-old Russian national, is at the heart of the fight as the suspected leader of a Bitcoin laundering scheme.
In July, Vinnik was arrested by US law enforcement for allegedly being involved in BTC-e, a cryptocurrency exchange platform which "washed" funds without taking customer information, allowing for laundering to take place.
According to US prosecutors, Vinnik owned a number of accounts on the platform and used them to launder cash -- and may have also been involved in laundering Bitcoin received from the "hack" of now-defunct exchange platform Mt. Gox, as well as Tradehill, another dead exchange.
In total, the Bitcoin laundering scheme is believed to have laundered roughly $4 billion.
Mt. Gox was once a thriving Bitcoin exchange, but after its sudden collapse in 2014, investors lost roughly $375 million. Former CEO Mark Karpeles originally blamed the closure on unknown cyberattackers, but Japanese law enforcement is charging him with embezzlement.
It is believed that Vinnik not only funneled proceeds from Mt. Gox but has also been involved in identity theft and drug trafficking schemes.
US law enforcement wants to charge Vinnik on American soil with operating an unlicensed money service business, conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering, and engaging in unlawful monetary transactions.
If convicted, Vinnik could face up to 55 years behind bars.
The Russian national is currently being held in Greece, and a local court in Thessaloniki ruled on Wednesday that the United States is permitted to extradite him to face these charges.
However, the Russian government is not impressed with the Greek court's decision.
On Friday, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the verdict was "unjust and a violation of international law."
The ministry believes that as Vinnik is a Russian national, he should be prosecuted in his home country and this should overrule any other extradition requests. The Russian Prosecutor General's Office requested an extradition order to Russia, but it appears this request has been ignored by the Greek authorities.
"Based on legal precedent, the Russian request should take priority as Mr. Vinnik is a citizen of Russia," the ministry said. "The verdict is even more surprising in the context of the atmosphere of friendly relations between Russia and Greece."
Vinnik has denied the charges but has agreed to be sent back to Russia, according to the Reuters news agency.
However, Vinnik's legal team have appealed the ruling, and now the Russian national's case will be considered by the Supreme Civil and Criminal Court of Greece, before being submitted to the Greek Minister of Justice for approval.
"We hope the Greek authorities will consider the Russian Prosecutor General's Office request, and Russia's reasoning, and act in strict compliance with international law," the ministry says.
ZDNet has reached out to the US Department of Justice (DoJ) and Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will update if we hear back.
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