Published November 15,2024
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A hacker who laundered the proceeds from one of many largest cryptocurrency thefts in U.S. historical past has been sentenced to 5 years in jail. Ilya Lichtenstein pleaded responsible final yr to stealing roughly 120,000 Bitcoin from the Bitfinex change in 2016.
He laundered the stolen funds with the assistance of his spouse, Heather Morgan, who promoted hip-hop music beneath the alias Razzlekhan.
At the time of the theft, the Bitcoin was valued at round $70 million, however by the point of their arrest, its value had surged to over $4.5 billion.
In an announcement on the time, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco famous that the seizure of $3.6 billion in belongings within the case represented the most important monetary forfeiture in U.S. Department of Justice historical past.
District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly emphasised the significance of sending the message that “you cannot commit these crimes without consequences.”
Lichtenstein, who has been in custody since his arrest in February 2022, expressed regret for his actions and mentioned he hoped to make use of his expertise within the struggle towards cybercrime after serving his sentence.
Morgan, who additionally pleaded responsible to cash laundering conspiracy fees final yr, may have her sentencing on November 18.
Court paperwork reveal that Lichtenstein used superior hacking instruments and strategies to breach Bitfinex and subsequently sought Morgan’s assist to launder the stolen funds.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) said that quite a few advanced cash laundering strategies had been used, together with creating faux identities, changing the stolen funds into totally different cryptocurrencies, and buying gold.
Prosecutors additionally mentioned that Lichtenstein, initially from Russia and raised within the U.S., met with couriers throughout household journeys and introduced the laundered a refund to his house nation.
Source: www.anews.com.tr