Lawyers for Alexander Vinnik, accused of laundering $ 4 billion to $ 9 billion through the BTC-e cryptocurrency exchange, are preparing to appeal the verdict of the Paris court.
In the summer of 2017, Vinnik was detained in Greece at the request of the US prosecutor's office. Earlier this year, Vinnik was extradited to France, and only in August the case was transferred to a Paris court. The court hearing lasted from October 19 to 23. On December 7, a court in Paris sentenced Vinnik to five years in prison and a € 100,000 fine, including compensation to the injured parties.
The court dropped some of the money laundering charges against Vinnik and completely dismissed the accusations of using the malicious ransomware Locky to carry out cyberattacks. However, the court found the Russian citizen a member of a criminal community, as well as guilty of money laundering through the BTC-e exchange. During the court hearings, Vinnik denied his guilt.
Vinnik's defense intends to appeal the court decision. A member of the Paris Bar Association Frederic Belo, who is involved in the Vinnik case, believes that the Russian has suffered from his anonymous employers from the BTC-e exchange. The lawyer stated that there was no evidence that Vinnik really took part in the creation and management of this exchange. He was an ordinary salaried specialist and did not knowingly participate in any money laundering operations. The defense insists that the charges against Vinnik are based on documents provided by US law enforcement agencies. Therefore, it is possible that the US special services could intervene in the investigation in Greece.
“Alexander Vinnik has been charged with participation in a criminal community. But there is not a single criminal group consisting of one person. At the hearing, no names of people were named who could presumably be members of such a community” said French lawyer Frederic Belo.
Belo added that Vinnik is in a serious psychological condition due to the death of his wife, who died from a serious illness. Vinnik never managed to see her, and his children live with relatives. Vinnik may be extradited to the United States, where another trial awaits him, and possibly imprisonment for 50 years. However, Belo said that it was necessary to wait for the appeal, which could take about four months.
