MOSCOW — Alexander Vinnik, a convicted Russian criminal, is being freed as part of a swap that saw Moscow’s release of American Marc Fogel, two U.S. officials confirmed Wednesday. Vinnik was arrested in 2017 in Greece at the request of the U.S. on cryptocurrency fraud charges and was later extradited to the United States where he pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is currently in custody in California awaiting transport to return to Russia, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the swap. The Kremlin said Wednesday that a Russian citizen was freed in the United States in exchange for Fogel but refused to identify him until he arrives in Russia. President Donald Trump welcomed Fogel, who’s from Pennsylvania, at the White House Tuesday evening after his return to U.S. soil. By Vladimir Isachenkov, Eric Tucker And Zeke Miller
