After years of discussions about extradition, a French court has finally ruled Alexander Finnick on Bitcoin (BTC) money laundering charges.
According to a report published by Novay Gazeta on Monday, Fink was sentenced to five years in prison for laundering money as part of an organized criminal group and providing false information about the source of the proceeds as well as A fine of 100,000 euros (121,000 dollars).
According to the BBC, the court has partially dropped the charges relating to the ransomware known as Lockey. Online reports have not specified whether Finik's punishment was related to his alleged high-profile role in the now-closed cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e.
Fink had previously denied involvement in BTC-e, claiming he was just an employee. He said that his monthly salary in BTC-e was 10 thousand euros.
As stated previously, Finike is alleged to be the mastermind behind an international money laundering scheme that has handled more than $ 4 billion in capital flows through BTC-e.
Finik, known as Mister Bitcoin, was first arrested in Greece in July 2017 for allegedly participating in BTC-e operations; Since the arrest, several judicial bodies have requested the extradition of Vinik, including the United States and Russia, where Vinik has the nationality. Vinik was extradited to France in 2018 on charges of fraud and money laundering.
In June 2020, New Zealand police reportedly recovered $ 90 million in connection with the case against Finike.
