He is under indictment in the U.S. for his association with BTC-e, which allegedly had no “basic anti-money laundering controls and policies” in-place at the website. It was also allegedly one of the primary means by which international cybercriminals were able to launder money.
The U.S. indictment also alleged Vinnik withdrew and laundered 530,000 BTC from the breached Mt. Gox exchange between 2011 and 2014 along with other cybercrimes that totaled billions.
Linked to Locky ransomware attacks
Vinnick was only convicted of money laundering. He was acquitted of extortion and criminal enterprise associated with the Locky ransomware attacks that took place between 2016-2018. The court couldn’t find enough evidence for a conviction for those charges.
Many countries still believe that the tech-savvy Vinnik was the mastermind behind BTC-e. However, he claimed that he was only a technical operator who carried out orders handed down by BTC-e directors.
Alexander Vinnik has long been suspected of creating the Locky strain of ransomware which was used in about 200 attacks on companies and individuals in France. The ransomware attacks netted an estimated 135 million euros for the ransomware gang.
