BTC-e founder seeks prisoner swap deal for detained WSJ journalist: Report
The detention of a United States journalist in Russia has sparked a renewed push from Alexander Vinnik, the co-founder of BTC-e, for a possible “prisoner swap” deal. Alexander Vinnik, the Russian co-founder of an allegedly illicit crypto exchange, BTC-e, is seeking release by way of a deal known as a “ prison er swap.” According to a May 24 report in The Wall Street Journal, Vinnik’s lawyer is attempting to alter a protective order on Vinnik’s case so that he could be considered as part of a prisoner trade deal between Russia and the United States. This could see him “swapped” for detained WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich. “Mr. Vinnik should be permitted to … answer the accusations against him and advocate publicly for his inclusion in a prison er swap,” wrote David Rizk, an assistant federal defender in the Northern District of California. Citing sources familiar with the prison er-swap process, Rizk explained that such negotiations require a strong public campaign to “maximize the cha...