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Crypto exchange BTC-e\u2019s alleged operator Alexander Vinnik may be a candidate for prisoner swap between the United States and Russia. That\u2019s according to a statement by one of his lawyers for Russian media. The latest court hearing in Vinnik\u2019s case has been postponed.<\/strong><\/p>\n A lawyer for Alexander Vinnik, alleged operator of the infamous cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e, believes that his client may be considered for an exchange of prisoners between the United States and the Russian Federation.<\/p>\n David Rizk, who represents Vinnik in the U.S., commented on Vinnik\u2019s potential return home in an interview with the RIA Novosti news agency, quoted by other Russian media and crypto news outlets. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t rule out that possibility,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Russian IT specialist has been in U.S. custody since August, last year, when he was extradited<\/a> from Greece. American authorities accuse him of laundering at least $4 billion through the now-defunct coin trading platform. If found guilty, the 43-year-old Russian faces up to 55 years in prison.<\/p>\n Alexander Vinnik was arrested while on vacation in Thessaloniki in 2017. Athens approved an extradition request filed by the United States but handed him over to France first, in December 2019, where he served<\/a> a five-year sentence for money laundering before he was returned to Greece. French and Greek authorities have ignored Russia\u2019s extradition requests.<\/p>\n In September, 2022, another member of Vinnik\u2019s defense team, French lawyer Frederic Belot, urged<\/a> the government in Moscow to add its citizen to a possible prisoner swap deal with Washington. In October, he also called on<\/a> the Russian Patriarch Kirill to help \u201csave\u201d the crypto entrepreneur, whose health has been deteriorating after time spent in solitary confinement and a hunger strike.<\/p>\n In December, Russian media reported that Alexander Vinnik has applied<\/a> for release on bail citing the delay of his trial. Last week, a scheduled court hearing via video call was postponed until Feb. 24 \u201cdue to confusion with the schedule in the prison\u201d where he is held, according to the RIA Novosti report.<\/p>\nRussian Accused of Laundering Billions Through Crypto May Return Home, According to Lawyer<\/h2>\n