The court spokesperson confirmed that Vinnik pled not guilty during a hearing on Friday – the first legal proceeding against Vinnik in the United States since being extradited there from Greece on that day.
Russian citizen Alexander Vinnik, 42, has made an initial appearance in US federal court in San Francisco before Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim after being extradited from Greece to the United States to face charges of financial crimes, the US Justice Department said in a statement on Friday.
Vinnik is accused of financial crimes including money laundering through BTC-e, which prosecutors allege obscured and anonymized transactions and sources of funds. Vinnik faces upwards of 50 years in prison if convicted on the charges, which he denies.