The Trump administration has agreed to release Russian cybercriminal Alexander Vinnik as part of a prisoner exchange, securing the return of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel from a Russian prison, The New York Times reports.
Vinnik, a Russian national, was convicted of money laundering in 2024. He was accused of operating BTC-E, a major illicit Bitcoin exchange that laundered over $4 billion. The platform facilitated various cybercrimes, including ransomware attacks and identity theft. Arrested in Greece in 2017, Vinnik was later extradited to the U.S., where he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Vinnik’s release was part of a deal negotiated by the Trump administration to secure Fogel’s return. Fogel, a 63-year-old teacher, had been detained in Russia since 2021 for carrying cannabis, which he claimed was for medical purposes. He was convicted in 2022 on drug smuggling charges and sentenced to 14 years in prison. The U.S. State Department had declared him “wrongfully detained” in December.
Trump, speaking about the deal, called it a “very fair” exchange, emphasizing that the U.S. gave up “not much” in return. He also hinted that this swap could be the beginning of renewed diplomatic ties with Russia.
