Lawyer of alleged crypto launderer urges Russia to discuss prisoner swap – letter
By Filipp Lebedev
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The lawyer of a Russian man accused of laundering greater than $4 billion by way of the digital foreign money bitcoin urged Moscow on Monday to start negotiations with the USA to incorporate his shopper in a possible prisoner swap.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned in July that Washington had made Moscow a “substantial provide” for the discharge of Americans held in Russia, together with U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan.
In a letter seen by Reuters, a lawyer for Alexander Vinnik, a Russian who was extradited final month to the USA to face cash laundering costs, referred to as on International Minister Sergei Lavrov to start swap negotiations with Washington.
“Now the one factor that may save Alexander is for the Russian Federation to enter into negotiations with the American authorities throughout the framework of the alternate of prisoners between the nations talked about,” the letter from lawyer Frederic Belot mentioned.
Belot mentioned he emailed the letter to the Russian overseas ministry. The ministry declined fast remark.
Vinnik was arrested in 2017 in Greece on the request of the USA, although Moscow has repeatedly demanded he be returned to Russia.
He was extradited to France from Greece the place he was sentenced to five years in jail for cash laundering earlier than he was despatched again to Greece after which on to the USA the place he appeared earlier than a San Francisco choose early final month.
His lawyer mentioned that Vinnik was held in solitary confinement in France and as a result of stress of isolation psychiatrists “have acknowledged that he has a partial lack of reminiscence,” the letter mentioned.
Vinnik’s lawyer says his shopper has repeatedly denied and continues to disclaim all the costs in opposition to him.
The U.S. Division of Justice mentioned Vinnik “allegedly owned, operated, and administrated BTC-e, a big cybercrime and on-line cash laundering entity that allowed its customers to commerce in bitcoin with excessive ranges of anonymity and developed a buyer base closely reliant on prison exercise.”
The utmost penalty for the U.S. costs in opposition to Vinnik is 55 years in jail, the U.S. Division of Justice web site says, a determine confirmed by Vinnik’s lawyer.
“This time period for Alexander is tantamount to life,” mentioned Belot.
Russia has repeatedly acknowledged that it was engaged in “quiet diplomacy” with the U.S. relating to a possible prisoner swap.
(Enhancing by Man Faulconbridge; Enhancing by Alistair Bell)
