BTC-e

2011-07-01

BTC-e cryptocurrency exchange founded by Alexander Vinnik and Alexey Bilyuchenko.

2011-09-01

Bilyuchenko, Verner, and co-conspirators allegedly gain unauthorized access to Mt. Gox servers and begin stealing Bitcoin, according to a 2023 DOJ indictment.

2014-02-01

Mt. Gox collapses and files for bankruptcy after disclosing the loss of approximately 850,000 Bitcoin. More than 300,000 BTC from the theft are later traced to BTC-e.

2017-07-25

BTC-e website goes offline. Alexander Vinnik is arrested in Ouranoupoli, Greece at the request of U.S. authorities.

2017-07-26

DOJ unseals 21-count indictment against Vinnik and BTC-e in the Northern District of California. FinCEN simultaneously levies a $110 million civil money penalty against BTC-e and a $12 million penalty against Vinnik.

2017-09-01

WEX exchange launches as a successor to BTC-e, promising to compensate former BTC-e users.

2018-07-01

WEX exchange ceases operations in an alleged exit scam, disappearing with remaining customer assets.

2020-01-01

Greece extradites Vinnik to France. He is subsequently convicted of money laundering and sentenced to five years in prison.

2022-08-01

Vinnik extradited from France to the United States to face the original 2017 federal charges.

2023-06-09

DOJ unseals charges against Russian nationals Alexey Bilyuchenko and Aleksandr Verner for the Mt. Gox hack, alleging Bilyuchenko co-operated BTC-e with Vinnik to launder stolen funds.

2024-05-03

Vinnik pleads guilty in U.S. federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. He agrees to forfeit approximately $100 million in digital assets.

2025-02-13

The United States releases Vinnik to Russia in a prisoner exchange for American school teacher Marc Fogel, before Vinnik's U.S. sentencing is completed.

2025-06-30

DOJ files a civil asset forfeiture complaint targeting all virtual currency held in BTC-e's operating wallets as of July 25, 2017, plus related fiat accounts in New Zealand, Australia, and the Czech Republic.