Bitfinex hacker Ilya Lichtenstein sentenced to five years in prison for attempting to launder 120,000 bitcoin

CN
Theblock
Follow
5 hours ago

Ilya "Dutch" Lichtenstein has been sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the 2016 hack of crypto exchange Bitfinex and subsequent money laundering, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. 

Lichtenstein received the five-year sentence that prosecutors recommended. Lichtenstein had been charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to defraud the United States, which carry maximum sentence of 20 and five years, respectively. However, prosecutors argued Licthenstein's sentence should be reduced due to his cooperation in not only his investigation but others including his testimony in the Bitcoin Fog case, The Block previously reported.

Lichtenstein's wife and co-conspirator Heather Morgan, who goes by the rap alias "Razzlekahn," now awaits sentencing on Nov. 18. She played a smaller role for in the money laundering conspiracy, so prosecutors proposed she get an 18-month sentence.

In 2016, Lichtenstein purportedly hacked into the crypto exchange Bitfinex and stole around 120,000 bitcoin worth $72 million at the time and $10.7 billion today. He and Morgan allegedly laundered the funds using crypto mixers, layered transactions, darknet markets and other tactics, according to the United States Department of Justice. The assets represent the U.S. government's largest seizure to date.

In August 2023, Lichtenstein and Morgan pleaded guilty to money laundering-related charges regarding the Bitfinex's hack.

Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.

© 2024 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

免责声明:本文章仅代表作者个人观点,不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享,不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议,与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权,请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com,本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。

Share To
APP

X

Telegram

Facebook

Reddit

CopyLink