Security News > 2020 > December > Russian Sentenced to French Prison for Bitcoin Laundering
A Russian bitcoin expert at the center of a multi-country legal tussle was sentenced in Paris on Monday to five years in prison for money laundering and ordered to pay 100,000 euros in fines in a case of suspected cryptocurrency fraud.
Vinnik denies wrongdoing, and his lawyers are discussing whether to appeal.
French prosecutors say Vinnik was one of the creators of a malicious software called "Locky" that was delivered through email.
The court convicted Vinnik of money laundering but didn't find enough evidence to convict him of extortion, and stopped short of the 10-year jail term and 750,000 euros in fines that prosecutors had requested.
One of his French lawyers, Ariane Zimra, said his conviction for money laundering "Doesn't make sense," arguing that cryptocurrency is not legally considered "Money."