French Officials Move to Start Trial of Alleged BTC-e Operator Alexander Vinnik

The alleged BTC-e operator stands accused of extortion, aggravated money laundering and conspiracy.

AccessTimeIconJul 24, 2020 at 1:45 p.m. UTC
Updated Sep 14, 2021 at 9:35 a.m. UTC

French officials have officially started the ball rolling for the trial of Alexander Vinnik, the alleged operator of an exchange said to have laundered millions of dollars for criminals.

  • French prosecutors filed a petition to start the lawsuit against Vinnik on Wednesday, according to a news report from L'Express.
  • Vinnik was charged on the day he arrived in France in late January after been extradited from Greece.
  • He stands accused of extortion, aggravated money laundering, conspiracy, and harming automatic data-processing systems as the chief of the exchange BTC-e, closed by law enforcement agencies in 2017.
  • A hot wallet address for BTC-e can be seen on blockchain explorers.
  • The platform from Netherlands-based Crystal Blockchain shows that, while now empty, more than 733,000 bitcoin (around $7 billion) has passed through the wallet.
  • It has remained inactive since September 2017 – a few months after Vinnik was detained by the Greek authorities.
BTC-e address displayed on Crystal Blockchain
BTC-e address displayed on Crystal Blockchain
  • Once the French trial has concluded, Vinnik will be extradited to the U.S. and then Russia to face similar charges there.
  • Vinnik has maintained he is innocent of all charges.

DISCLOSURE

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk’s longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.