[Back to the takedown index](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns) # BTC-e disruption July 2017, Cryptocurrency laundering Led by [Federal Bureau of Investigation](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/federal-bureau-of-investigation) Extended pass entry, last reviewed August 21, 2026 What was taken down? Exchange infrastructure disabled. [See what happened](#what-happened) What happened to the people? Officials reported 1 charged, 1 apprehended, and 1 convicted. 1 apprehended and 1 convicted named in the public record. Group accounted for: Likely complete [See people and accountability](#people) Did it stay down? Not established in the public record. No later activity is recorded against this entry. [See what happened afterward](#afterward) ## What happened US DOJ/FBI/IRS and international partners dismantled the BTC-e cryptocurrency exchange while alleged operator Alexander Vinnik was arrested in Greece; criminal money-laundering and unlicensed-money-service charges followed. **Date:** July 2017 **Target:** BTC-e, cryptocurrency exchange **Activity:** Cryptocurrency laundering **Operational lead:** FBI **Partners** Hellenic Police, IRS-CI[[1]](#source-1) - [Hellenic Police](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/hellenic-police), arresting - [Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/internal-revenue-service-criminal-investigation), supporting **Jurisdiction:** Not established **Outcome:** Exchange infrastructure disabled. **Status:** Completed **Legal mechanism:** Federal criminal indictment; Greek arrest warrant at US request. **Group accounted for:** Likely complete ## People and accountability Named in the public record: 1 apprehended and 1 convicted. Figures count individuals named in charging documents and official statements, each person once per outcome. People alleged to be involved but not publicly identified are not counted. Reported and named. Officials reported 1 charged, 1 apprehended, and 1 convicted. 1 apprehended and 1 convicted named in the public record. The two figures come from different places and are never added together. Officials publish a headline total, and this index counts only the individuals it can name from the cited record. #### Alexander Vinnik Operator of BTC-e. Current public status: Arrested and Convicted. **Charging authority:** Not established in the public record **Main charges:** Money laundering **Case number:** Not established in the public record **Arresting authority:** Hellenic Police **Arrest location:** Greece **Extradition status:** Not established in the public record **Conviction or plea:** Convicted **Sentence:** Not established in the public record **Segment:** Core operator **Sources:** [[1]](#source-1) **Full record:** [Everything indexed for Alexander Vinnik](https://takedownindex.org/people/alexander-vinnik) Group accounted for: Likely complete Sole named principal operator arrested, extradited (to France, then repatriated), and ultimately convicted in US proceedings. [See the organizations and roles behind this action](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/btc-e-disruption/organizations) ## What happened afterward Not established in the public record. No later activity is recorded against this entry. ## Sources Numbered markers throughout this entry link to the source that supports the claim beside them. ### Official sources 1. [BTC-e cryptocurrency exchange dismantled; operator Alexander Vinnik arrested](https://takedownindex.org/sources/us-doj-fbi-irs-ci-btc-e-cryptocurrency-exchange-dismantled-operator-alexander-vi) US DOJ / FBI / IRS-CI, July 26, 2017, Source grade S2 Establishes the BTC-e disruption and Vinnik's arrest in Greece. No address recorded for this source. Publisher, title, and date are given so it can be retrieved from the publisher. Coverage note. Added from deep-research aggregation pass. Not independently re-verified source-by-source to the same standard as the original 38-incident core; source\_quality capped at S2/P2 pending a dedicated verification pass. Research context ## How this entry was checked This entry came from a broader aggregation pass and has not been independently verified source by source. Its sources are graded no higher than P2 or S2, and most carry no address yet. Treat the figures as a research lead rather than a settled record. Source review: Extended pass, not yet verified Sources cited: 1 Research cutoff: August 20, 2026 Last reviewed August 21, 2026 See also [About the Internet Takedown Index](https://takedownindex.org/about) Related entries - [AlphaBay seizure](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/alphabay-seizure) - [Avalanche network takedown](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/avalanche-network-takedown) - [Backpage.com seizure](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/backpage-com-seizure) Report updates or corrections Help keep this record accurate. [Submit feedback](https://takedownindex.org/about#corrections-and-updates)