Vinnik's lawyer reported about the dismissal of charges against the Russian citizen

Charges against Russian Alexander Vinnik in the United States have been dropped, now he has no criminal record. This was reported to "Izvestia" on February 15 by his lawyer Arkady Bukh.

"The prosecutor's office has completely dropped the charges. <...> To date, the official record for Mr. Vinnik is the absence of a criminal record, that is, he can apply for any licenses, visas to different countries and there should be no reason for refusal," he said.

At the same time, the lawyer added that Vinnik may have difficulties due to the fact that the media actively covered his arrest. However, as emphasized Buch, in such a case, he can show the court certificate, which confirms the absence of a criminal record. According to the lawyer, Vinnik's case differs from other exchanges precisely because other prisoners have been found guilty.

"These are people who have a criminal record. <...> The presence of a criminal record prevents people from obtaining international licenses, as well as traveling to Western European countries," he explained.

One for one: the United States released Russian citizen Alexander Vinnik

Former BTC-e programmer to return home as part of prisoner exchange

The release of Vinnik from prison after almost eight years of imprisonment became known on February 12. The Russian arrived in Moscow the next day.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that for Russia the return is a joyful event. He also emphasized the unreasonableness of Vinnik's imprisonment. Vinnik himself called his return a surprise and admitted that he missed his homeland.

The Russian was detained at the request of the United States in July 2017, when he was vacationing with his family in Greece. U.S. authorities accused Vinnik of laundering up to $9 billion through the BTC-e cryptocurrency exchange (now defunct) and distributing malware for extortion.