All news

Extradited Russian national Vinnik pleads not guilty in US court

The next court hearing is set for August 15

NEW YORK, August 8. /TASS/. Russian national Alexander Vinnik, who was earlier extradited to the United States, has pleaded not guilty, a spokesman for the court in the Northern District of California told TASS on Monday.

"Confirming his appearance where he was arraigned and entered a not-guilty plea. Next hearing is set for 8/15 at 10:30," he said.

The US Department of Justice said earlier that Vinnik had appeared in court in the Northern District of California on Friday.

On July 25, 2017, Alexander Vinnik, a Russian IT specialist, was detained during his vacation in Greece at the request of the United States, where he is accused of laundering $4-9 billion through the no longer existing crypto exchange BTC-e.

On December 19, 2019, Greek Justice Minister Konstantionos Tsiaras ruled that Vinnik be extradited first to France, then to the United States and eventually to Russia. In December 2020, a Paris court sentenced him to five years in prison and ordered a fine of more than 100,000 euros.

Vinnik himself said back in Greece that he would agree to return to Russia and stand a court trial in his homeland. In Russia, he is charged with embezzlement of over 600,000 rubles ($9,800) and computer fraud worth 750,000 million rubles (some $12.2 million).