By Filipp Lebedev
MOSCOW – The lawyer of a Russian man accused of laundering greater than $4 billion by means of the digital forex bitcoin urged Moscow on Monday to start negotiations with the US to incorporate his shopper in a possible prisoner swap.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated in July that Washington had made Moscow a “substantial provide” for the discharge of Americans held in Russia, together with U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan.
In a letter seen by Reuters, a lawyer for Alexander Vinnik, a Russian who was extradited final month to the US to face cash laundering prices, referred to as on International Minister Sergei Lavrov to start swap negotiations with Washington.
“Now the one factor that may save Alexander is for the Russian Federation to enter into negotiations with the American authorities inside the framework of the trade of prisoners between the international locations talked about,” the letter from lawyer Frederic Belot stated.
Belot stated he emailed the letter to the Russian overseas ministry. The ministry declined quick remark.
Vinnik was arrested in 2017 in Greece on the request of the US, although Moscow has repeatedly demanded he be returned to Russia.
He was extradited to France from Greece the place he was sentenced to five years in jail for cash laundering earlier than he was despatched again to Greece after which on to the US the place he appeared earlier than a San Francisco choose early final month.
His lawyer stated that Vinnik was held in solitary confinement in France and because of the stress of isolation psychiatrists “have said that he has a partial lack of reminiscence,” the letter stated.
Vinnik’s lawyer says his shopper has repeatedly denied and continues to disclaim all the costs in opposition to him.
The U.S. Division of Justice stated Vinnik “allegedly owned, operated, and administrated BTC-e, a major cybercrime and on-line cash laundering entity that allowed its customers to commerce in bitcoin with excessive ranges of anonymity and developed a buyer base closely reliant on prison exercise.”
The utmost penalty for the U.S. prices in opposition to Vinnik is 55 years in jail, the U.S. Division of Justice web site says, a determine confirmed by Vinnik’s lawyer.
“This time period for Alexander is tantamount to life,” stated Belot.
Russia has repeatedly said that it was engaged in “quiet diplomacy” with the U.S. relating to a possible prisoner swap.
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