Russian money launderer to be freed in exchange for Marc Fogel

The Trump administration has agreed to send a convicted money launderer back to Russia in exchange for the release of American teacher Mark Fogel, a U.S. official told NBC News on Wednesday.

Alexander Vinnik is in American custody and awaiting transport to Russia, which is expected to happen by the end of the week, the official said.

As part of the deal to free him, Vinnik will leave behind $100 million worth of digital assets in the United States, the official said.

“We didn’t swap the merchant of death for a basketball player,” The U.S. official said, referring to the 2022 exchange of WNBA star Brittney Griner for arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Vinnik was arrested in 2017 in a small beachside village in northern Greece and detained at Washington’s request. He was initially extradited to France and later to the United States.He pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to commit money laundering related to his role in operating the cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e from 2011 to 2017, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California said in news release at the time.

“BTC-e was one of the primary ways by which cybercriminals around the world transferred, laundered and stored the criminal proceeds of their illegal activities,” the release said.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between killed New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

FOR SUBSCRIBERSMore oil is getting out of the Middle East. Why is it still so expensive?

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe complicated bargain between ‘looksmaxxing’ influencer Clavicular and the women in his orbit

FOR SUBSCRIBERSSenators unveil bipartisan bill to deliver essential newborn supply kits to new moms

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between killed New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

FOR SUBSCRIBERSMore oil is getting out of the Middle East. Why is it still so expensive?

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe complicated bargain between ‘looksmaxxing’ influencer Clavicular and the women in his orbit

FOR SUBSCRIBERSSenators unveil bipartisan bill to deliver essential newborn supply kits to new moms

The exchange “received criminal proceeds of numerous computer intrusions and hacking incidents, ransomware attacks, identity theft schemes, corrupt public officials and narcotics distribution rings,” it said.

Vinnik was facing up to 20 years in prison and had been due to be sentenced in January. But in November, a U.S. federal judge agreed to postpone his sentencing until June in a brief order that did not cite the reason for the delay, according to court records, Reuters reported.

The U.S. official said Vinnik was exchanged for Marc Fogel, who was freed Tuesday after being detained in Russia for 3½ years for a minor medical cannabis infraction.

Fogel, 63, who had been sentenced to 14 years in prison, met with President Donald Trump at the White House on his return to home soil and said he was “in awe” of all of the staff members who helped secure his release, calling them heroes.

Fogel had remained in Russian custody as U.S. authorities won freedom for other high-profile American detainees, including Griner, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan.

Fogel said that he needed time before he could discuss the conditions of his imprisonment in detail, but that they were difficult.

“There were times when it was extremely trying. There were times when I could manage it,” he said. “Every second, every minute, every day had a challenge.”

The U.S. envoy for hostages, Adam Boehler, told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that three additional hostages, including a U.S. citizen and a journalist for Radio Liberty, a global news outlet, had been released by Belarus into American custody.

The United States did not release any detainees in exchange for the hostages, Boehler said. He did not name the U.S. citizen.

Boehler said the new releases were the continuation of a hostage release agreement that began last month with the release of American Anastassia Nuhfer.