Ilya Lichtenstein, a hacker who played a central role in one of the largest cryptocurrency thefts ever, has been sentenced to five years in a US prison.
The case involved the 2016 hacking of the Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange, during which almost 120,000 bitcoins were stolen.
At the time, the stolen cryptocurrency was valued at $70 million but surged to over $4.5 billion by the time Lichtenstein and his wife, Heather Morgan, were arrested in 2022.
Lichtenstein’s Wife Launcered Money
Morgan, who went by the alias “Razzlekhan” and promoted herself as a hip-hop artist and entrepreneur, helped Lichtenstein launder the stolen money.
The couple used sophisticated techniques, including fake identities, converting funds into other cryptocurrencies, and purchasing gold coins to hide the origins of Bitcoin.
They even transported some of the laundered money in person during family trips.
The US Department of Justice described the heist as the largest ever in the country’s history.
