When news of a potential US-Russia prisoner swap broke last week, a familiar name appeared on the list of possible exchange candidates. Alexander Vinnik, known as “Mr Bitcoin,” was arrested while on vacation in Greece in July 2017 on a US warrant for laundering over $4 billion through his crypto exchange, BTC-e. After spending two years in a French prison, he was extradited by Greece to the US in 2022. Vinnik pleaded guilty to money laundering in May 2024.