New York Man Admits to Billion-Dollar Bitcoin Hack From 2016, Pleads Guilty With Wife to Money Laundering

In an unexpected revelation, Ilya Lichtenstein, 35, confessed to being the archetypal hacker down the 2016 cyberattack connected crypto speech Bitfinex, a theft that was erstwhile worthy $4.5 billion. Lichtenstein made the admittance portion pleading blameworthy to laundering the stolen bitcoin successful a Washington, D.C. national court, with his wife, Heather Morgan, besides pleading blameworthy to related charges.

Groundbreaking Admission: Ilya Lichtenstein Confesses to 2016 Bitfinex Hack

Until the court’s admittance connected Thursday, the idiosyncratic liable for the hack from Bitfinex was chartless to the public. Though not charged with the hack itself, Lichtenstein faces a maximum of 20 years successful situation for 1 number of conspiracy to perpetrate wealth laundering. His wife, Morgan, an aspiring rapper known arsenic “Razzlekahn” could look up to 5 years. This is the archetypal clip the individuality of the hacker has been disclosed, with the mates facing important situation time, arsenic CNBC archetypal reported connected the matter.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) seized implicit 94,000 bitcoin (BTC) retired of the much than 119,000 hacked, worthy billions astatine the clip of apprehension successful February 2022. Since then, the authorities has confiscated $475 million much related to the hack. Lichtenstein’s onslaught was rather akin to James Zhong’s onslaught against the Silk Road. “Lichtenstein utilized a fig of precocious hacking tools and techniques to summation entree to Bitfinex’s network,” the DOJ said, according to CNBC’s report. The government’s ailment further added:

Once wrong their systems, Lichtenstein fraudulently authorized much than 2,000 transactions successful which 119,754 bitcoin was transferred from Bitfinex to a cryptocurrency wallet successful Lichtenstein’s control.

CNBC reporters Eamon Javers, and Dan Mangan further elaborate that Morgan played an progressive role, assisting her hubby successful laundering the stolen funds. Around 25,000 stolen bitcoin were transferred retired of Lichtenstein’s wallet done a analyzable wealth laundering process, ending up successful accounts controlled by the couple, the study highlights. Further probe revealed that the mates converted immoderate assets into golden coins, with Morgan adjacent burying them astatine a determination known to instrumentality enforcement.

Lichtenstein’s travels to Ukraine and Kazakhstan were discovered to impact converting integer assets to currency done Russian and Ukrainian middlemen, past shipping it to addresses wherever helium could retrieve it. The crypto couple’s high-profile tribunal lawsuit occurred connected the aforesaid time arsenic the erstwhile president, Donald Trump, was charged, starring to a rescheduling of the proceedings.

What bash you deliberation astir Lichtenstein’s admittance to hacking Bitfinex successful 2016? Share your thoughts and opinions astir this taxable successful the comments conception below.