2 years ago
Alexander Vinnik, the alleged proprietor and relation of the infamous cryptocurrency speech BTC-e, has been recovered not eligible for merchandise connected bail successful the United States, wherever helium was precocious transferred from Greece. The Russian, accused of large-scale wealth laundering done the now-defunct trading platform, and different crimes, rejects U.S. charges.
Alexander Vinnik Remains successful California Prison, Russian Embassy Offers Help
Authorities successful the United States person efficaciously denied merchandise connected bail for the IT specializer Alexander Vinnik, Russian media reported, quoting his record connected the website of the Santa Rita Jail successful California wherever helium is incarcerated. Vinnik has been successful the U.S. since his hasty extradition from Greece a small much than a week ago, which angered his planetary defence team.
The crypto entrepreneur was arrested connected a U.S. warrant successful the summertime of 2017, successful the Greek metropolis of Thessaloniki wherever helium arrived connected a household vacation. Greece archetypal sent him to France successful precocious 2019, wherever helium served a five-year condemnation for wealth laundering. In July, U.S. authorities withdrew a petition to get him from France, frankincense speeding up his transportation done Greece, which had already approved his extradition to the United States.
His lawyers protested against the determination to rapidly manus him implicit to American authorities, pointing retired that helium had applied for asylum successful Greece aft antecedently informing that successful the U.S. Vinnik is apt to go a “hostage” of the geopolitical clash surrounding the ongoing subject struggle successful NATO-supported Ukraine, which was invaded by Russian forces successful February.
The accusation provided by the prison’s online inmate locator does not bespeak whether the bail determination was made astatine the proceeding connected Friday, Aug. 5, erstwhile Vinnik appeared successful a national tribunal successful San Francisco, oregon if the justice has not yet considered the matter. A presumption cheque returns the abbreviated connection “Cannot beryllium released connected bail (NO BAIL).”
Russian Pleads ‘Not Guilty’ to Crimes Alleged by US Prosecutors
During the archetypal hearing, Alexander Vinnik declared his innocence and pleaded not guilty, according to a study by the Tass quality agency, quoting a spokesperson for the court. The adjacent proceeding has been scheduled for Aug. 15.
According to the indictment, quoted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) successful past week’s announcement of his extradition, BTC-e processed transactions from a wide scope of crimes, specified arsenic the Mt Gox hack, ransomware scams, and cause trade. The Russian is present facing aggregate counts of wealth laundering for much than $4 billion, among different charges.
In different study this week, Tass revealed that the Embassy of the Russian Federation successful Washington was inactive seeking interaction with Vinnik implicit the phone. Nadezhda Shumova, who heads the mission’s Consular Department has been quoted arsenic stating that Russian diplomats mean to supply each the needed consular and ineligible assistance to their compatriot.
Both Greece and France person ignored extradition requests filed by Russia, wherever helium is accused of embezzlement of implicit 600,000 rubles (less than $10,000 astatine existent speech rates) and “fraud successful the tract of machine information” for 750 cardinal rubles ($12 million). Vinnik himself has successful the past expressed his volition to instrumentality to his homeland and look justness there. That seems unlikely, however. An accusation not mentioned by the DOJ is that helium collaborated with Russian intelligence.
Do you deliberation Alexander Vinnik volition beryllium sentenced for wealth laundering successful the United States? Share your expectations astir the proceedings successful the comments conception below.
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