Alexander Vinnik
Russian national accused of running the crypto exchange BTC-e, one of the main laundromats for proceeds from hacks and ransomware.
BTC-e launched in 2011 and asked essentially no questions about who its customers were. US prosecutors alleged that bitcoin stolen from Mt. Gox, among other sources, was funnelled through it, along with ransomware payments. Vinnik was arrested on holiday in Greece in 2017, and the site went dark the same week.
An extradition tug-of-war between the US, France and Russia followed. France convicted him of money laundering in 2020, then handed him to the US, where he pleaded guilty in 2024. He was freed in a prisoner exchange in February 2025. Following the money, it turns out, works even when the money is cryptographic.