Court case # United States of America v. BTC-E, a/k/a Canton Business Corporation, and Alexander Vinnik United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Docket 3:16-cr-00227-SI. **Jurisdiction:** US **Docket number:** 3:16-cr-00227-SI **Linked takedowns:** 1 **People named:** 1 ## Case record **Court:** United States District Court for the Northern District of California **Jurisdiction:** US **Docket number:** 3:16-cr-00227-SI **Status:** Vinnik pleaded guilty 2024-05-03; he was released to Russia in a February 2025 prisoner exchange before sentencing, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California then dismissed its indictment **Status verified:** August 21, 2026 **Dataset id:** case\_us\_v\_btc\_e\_vinnik The status line was checked against the public record on August 21, 2026. Proceedings may have moved since. What this case entry is. This entry records a court docket the audit located and checked: the case name, the court, the docket number where one is published, and the status the cited sources establish. It is not a summary of proceedings and it does not stand in for the docket itself. A case listed here does not establish that anyone named on this page is guilty. Charges are accusations only. Where a cited source records a conviction or a guilty plea, that outcome is attributed to the source and this index asserts nothing beyond it. Sources for this entry were reviewed to a research cutoff of August 23, 2026. ## Takedowns linked to this case 1 takedown record in this index is linked to this case. - [BTC-e disruption](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/btc-e-disruption). Cryptocurrency laundering, July 2017 ## People named in this case 1 person in this index is recorded as named in this case. - [Alexander Vinnik](https://takedownindex.org/people/alexander-vinnik). No alias recorded ## Sources 6 sources support this entry. Each one is listed with the role it was relied on for. - [BTC-e Operator Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Conspiracy](https://takedownindex.org/sources/united-states-department-of-justice-office-of-public-affairs-btc-e-operator-plea), Primary source. United States Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, May 3, 2024. [https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/btc-e-operator-pleads-guilty-money-laundering-conspiracy](https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/btc-e-operator-pleads-guilty-money-laundering-conspiracy) - [Russian National And Bitcoin Exchange Charged In 21-Count Indictment For Operating Alleged International Money Laundering Scheme And Allegedly Laundering Funds From Hack Of Mt. Gox](https://takedownindex.org/sources/u-s-attorney-s-office-northern-district-of-california-u-s-department-of-justice-), Primary source. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of California (U.S. Department of Justice), July 26, 2017. [https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/russian-national-and-bitcoin-exchange-charged-21-count-indictment-operating-alleged](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/russian-national-and-bitcoin-exchange-charged-21-count-indictment-operating-alleged) - [United States' Motion to Seal Superseding Indictment, Arrest Warrants and [Proposed] Order — United States of America v. BTC-E, a/k/a Canton Business Corporation, and Alexander Vinnik, Case No. CR 16-00227 SI](https://takedownindex.org/sources/u-s-district-court-for-the-northern-district-of-california-united-states-motion-), Primary source. U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, January 17, 2017. [https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/4311639/United-States-District-Court-for-the-Northern.pdf](https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/4311639/United-States-District-Court-for-the-Northern.pdf) - [Microsoft Corporation v. Does, No. 2:11-cv-00222 (W.D. Wash.) docket record](https://takedownindex.org/sources/courtlistener-recap-microsoft-corporation-v-does-no-2-11-cv-00222-w-d-wash-docke), Supporting source. CourtListener RECAP. [https://www.courtlistener.com/api/rest/v4/search/?q=%22Rustock%22&type=r](https://www.courtlistener.com/api/rest/v4/search/?q=%22Rustock%22&type=r) - [Russian Alexander Vinnik back in Moscow after prisoner swap, RIA news agency says](https://takedownindex.org/sources/reuters-russian-alexander-vinnik-back-in-moscow-after-prisoner-swap-ria-news-age), Supporting source. Reuters, February 13, 2025. [https://www.reuters.com/world/plane-carrying-alexander-vinnik-released-by-us-prisoner-swap-arrives-moscow-2025-02-13/](https://www.reuters.com/world/plane-carrying-alexander-vinnik-released-by-us-prisoner-swap-arrives-moscow-2025-02-13/) - [Russia Prisoner Swap Snarls Crypto Operator’s Corruption Case](https://takedownindex.org/sources/bloomberg-law-russia-prisoner-swap-snarls-crypto-operator-s-corruption-case), Later outcome. Bloomberg Law, June 6, 2025. [https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/russia-prisoner-swap-snarls-crypto-operators-corruption-case](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/russia-prisoner-swap-snarls-crypto-operators-corruption-case) [All court cases](https://takedownindex.org/cases)