Share this article
Alleged BTC-e Operator Claims Innocence in New Interview
The alleged operator of BTC-e has spoken out in an interview in which he claimed he is innocent of charges brought by the U.S. government.
By Nikhilesh De
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 6:54 a.m. Published Sep 11, 2017, 10:00 a.m.
Make us preferred on Google
In his first interview since his arrest, alleged BTC-e operator Alexander Vinnik has said he is innocent of charges brought against him by the U.S. government.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
in July following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Russian native is currently being held there on charges of money laundering and operating an "unlicensed monetary service" until he can be extradited to the U.S. Vinnik refused to allow himself to be voluntarily extradited.
In the interview with Russia Today, Vinnik said:
"I do not consider myself guilty … The fact that I worked for BTC-e and did my job, and it's not justifiable to accuse me of it. I found out about the charge about a month after I was taken into custody. This was told to me by my Russian lawyer."
BTC-e was raided by U.S. officials and shut down on July 25, but has since come back online and pledged to return user funds. In a statement at the time, the group claimed Vinnik was never in charge of the exchange.
Other statements hinted at what could become one of the more notable trials to emerge from the blockchain technology sector.
For example, Vinnik's wife Alexandra told Russia Today that she believes he is being framed by the U.S. because they want to use his "intellect." Further, she said it was "weird" that Vinnik would be tried in the U.S. given that he did not work or live there.
Vinnik agreed, telling the news source that he does not understand how the U.S. government can judge a Russian citizen.
The statements in this article were translated from Russian.
Heaven image via Shutterstock
More For You
Pudgy Penguins is building a multi-vertical consumer IP platform — combining phygital products, games, NFTs and PENGU to monetize culture at scale.
What to know:
Pudgy Penguins is emerging as one of the strongest NFT-native brands of this cycle, shifting from speculative “digital luxury goods” into a multi-vertical consumer IP platform. Its strategy is to acquire users through mainstream channels first; toys, retail partnerships and viral media, then onboard them into Web3 through games, NFTs and the PENGU token.
The ecosystem now spans phygital products (> $13M retail sales and >1M units sold), games and experiences (Pudgy Party surpassed 500k downloads in two weeks), and a widely distributed token (airdropped to 6M+ wallets). While the market is currently pricing Pudgy at a premium relative to traditional IP peers, sustained success depends on execution across retail expansion, gaming adoption and deeper token utility.
More For You
Altcoins jump as dollar slides, bitcoin holds steady: Crypto Markets Today
The Dollar Index hit a four-year low, while altcoins surged led by HYPE, JTO and Solana memecoin PIPPIN.
What to know:
- Bitcoin held near $89,200 and ether topped $3,000, supported by a sharp drop in the U.S. dollar index (DXY).
- Altcoins outperformed, with Hyperliquid’s HYPE up 25% and Solana staking token JTO extending a 31% three-day rally.
- Speculative tokens led gains, including Solana-based memecoin PIPPIN up 64%, as CoinDesk’s altcoin-heavy CD80 index beat CD20.
