Trump reaches prisoner swap agreement with Russia, BTC-e former operator Vinnik released and returns to Russia

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, U.S. President Trump has reached a prisoner exchange agreement with Russia, swapping BTC-e exchange's former operator Alexander Vinnik for American teacher Marc Fogel, who was arrested in Russia.

Vinnik pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in May 2024 in a federal court in San Francisco. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, BTC-e assisted in laundering over $4 billion in criminal proceeds during its operation and was involved in the laundering of funds stolen from Mt. Gox. Vinnik was arrested in Greece in 2017, sentenced to 5 years in prison by a French court in 2020, and extradited to the U.S. in 2022.