Russian hackers feel the heat as Trump seeks warmer Moscow ties

FILE PHOTO: Alexander Vinnik, a 38 year old Russian man (L) suspected of running a money laundering operation, is escorted by a plain-clothes police officer to a court in Thessaloniki, Greece July 26, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis/File Photo

MOSCOW/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - When Alexander Vinnik was arrested on money-laundering charges at a Greek hotel in late July, the status of his Jabber secure online messaging account was set to "away".

"He often takes some time to reply, so at first I didn't think anything of it," said one person who knew the Russian as an administrator of a digital currency exchange which U.S. prosecutors say was used to launder criminal funds.