Reported by Henry Austin

The Trump administration has agreed to send a convicted money launderer back to Russia in exchange for the release of American teacher Mark Fogel, a U.S. official told NBC News on Wednesday. 

Alexander Vinnik is in American custody and awaiting transport to Russia, which is expected to happen by the end of the week, the official said.

As part of the deal to free him, Vinnik will leave behind $100 million worth of digital assets in the United States, the official said.

“We didn’t swap the merchant of death for a basketball player,” The U.S. official said, referring to the 2022 exchange of WNBA star Brittney Griner for arms dealer Viktor Bout.Vinnik was arrested in 2017 in a small beachside village in northern Greece and detained at Washington’s request. He was initially extradited to France and later to the United States.

He pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to commit money laundering related to his role in operating the cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e from 2011 to 2017.

Read full report: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna191859oo