The Northern District of California court has officially closed the case of Russian citizen Alexander Vinnik, who was previously returned from the United States to Moscow.
“The case against the defendant Alexander Vinnik is closed, he is released from custody“, the document published in the court's electronic database says. – At the request of the United States and for good reason, the case is ordered to be closed, declassified and made public.“
Vinnik, who was detained in Greece at the request of the US in 2017, returned to Russia on February 13 as a result of an agreement between the two sides. Washington accused the Russian of "laundering" between $4 billion and $9 billion through the now-defunct online cryptocurrency exchange BTC and secured his extradition in August 2022.
Shortly before Vinnik's release, American Mark Vogel, convicted in Russia for drug smuggling, also returned home. The Kremlin called the prisoner swap a step toward increasing mutual trust with Washington.