The operator of Bitcoin exchange BTC-e was arrested for 4 billion yuan!

[Shishang.com, July 31, 2017] According to reports, Greek police arrested a 38-year-old Russian man named Alexander Vinnik. Alexander Vinnik has been wanted by the United States. He is suspected of carrying out illegal activities through the illegal Bitcoin exchange BTC-e, involving funds of $4 billion. Many users have linked him to Alexander, the leader of the world's earliest Bitcoin exchange BTC-e, which recently announced an unplanned shutdown for maintenance. The US authorities are seeking to extradite him back to the United States for trial.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Northern California confirmed that Alexander Vinnik was one of the operators of BTC-e, who used the platform to conduct various criminal activities, including drug trafficking and cyber hacking. The platform had deposited 7 million bitcoins, and 5.5 million had been withdrawn.

The long-bankrupt Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox was also a victim of Alexander Vinnik's cyberattack. In 2014, Mt. Gox suffered a cyberattack and 850,000 Bitcoins were stolen, worth $450 million at the time. Regulators believe that Alexander Vinnik profited from some of the Bitcoins and circulated them into the market through BTC-e and another virtual currency exchange under his name, Tradehill.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) fined BTC-e $110 million and Alexander Vinnik $12 million for willful violations of U.S. Anti-Money Laundering (AML) laws. If convicted, Vinnik faces up to 55 years in prison.

There is no public evidence linking Vinnik to cybercrime. The U.S. government, Russian Foreign Ministry and Bitcoin platform did not immediately respond to requests for comment.