Tag: Heather Morgan

Ilya Lichtenstein, mastermind of the 2016 Bitfinex hack that drained 120,000 bitcoin, was sentenced to five years in prison for laundering billions in stolen cryptocurrency. His wife, Heather Morgan, awaits sentencing as details of their sophisticated laundering schemes emerge. On Aug. 3, 2023, Lichtenstein and Morgan both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

In a striking demonstration of timing, the United States government executed a massive transfer of $922 million worth of Bitcoin, coinciding with the crypto's milestone breach of the $60,000 threshold for the first time in two years. This significant move involved funds previously confiscated from the Bitfinex exchange hack in 2016, marking a pivotal moment in the government's handling of seized digital assets.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrest of the New York residents Ilya Lichtenstein, 34, and his wife, Heather Morgan, 31, for an alleged conspiracy to launder cryptocurrency that was stolen during the 2016 hack of crypto exchange Bitfinex. The 119,754 stolen bitcoins have a present value of approximately $4.5 billion. Thus far, law enforcement has seized over $3.6 billion in cryptocurrency linked t that hack. The two will be released from jail on $5M and $3M bonds, respectively.