NY - Ilya Lichtenstein & Heather Morgan, 2016 hack of $4.5B Stolen Crypto, NYC, 8 Feb 2022 *Arrests*

[Countem]

Heather Morgan, crypto rapper ‘Razzlekhan,’ lands NYC tech job while under house arrest for bitcoin heist

Morgan will work for the unnamed company “in the role of growth marketing and business development specialist,” according to her attorney, Eugene Gorokhov.

nypost.com

A federal magistrate judge granted a request by her attorney to modify the terms of her home confinement so that she can work three days a week from the New York City offices of a tech company, according to Bloomberg News.

 

[Countem]

'Crypto Couple' appear set to plead guilty in bitcoin hack money laundering case

Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Rhiannon Morgan are accused of trying to launder bitcoin stolen in the the 2016 hack of Bitfinex.

www.cnbc.com

It appears that IL and HM will be pleading guilty.

• The New York couple charged with trying to launder $4.5 billion in bitcoin stolen in a 2016 hack of Bitfinex appear set to plead guilty in the case, a new federal court docket entry suggests.

• IL and HM have been charged in a new document typically used by federal prosecutors when defendants have agreed to plead guilty.

IL and HM will appear in court on Aug. 3 for separate arraignments and plea hearings.

 

[Countem]

The 'crypto couple' is set to plead guilty to $4.5 billion bitcoin heist. Here's how the saga unfolded.

Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan, a couple known for walking a leashed Bengal cat, are set to plead guilty to bitcoin-laundering charges.

www.businessinsider.com

This article has a great summary of the events leading up to this point.

 

[Countem]

An Unexpected Twist in the Saga of the Rapping Crypto Couple

In their separate guilty pleas for money laundering, Razzlekhan and her husband admitted to the 2016 Bitfinex hack — the largest-ever crypto heist.

nymag.com

IL has entered a guilty plea for the conspiracy-to-commit-laundering charge and has admitted that he pulled off the biggest crypto heist in history. HM pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.

IL also admitted that he had converted some of the stolen crypto to gold coins and that HM had buried the gold somewhere in California.

 

[Countem]

Husband of 'Crocodile of Wall Street' pleads guilty to bitcoin theft

The couple involved in the $4.5billion theft of Bitcoin in the Bitfinex hack pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington, DC on Thursday.

www.dailymail.co.uk

IL now faces up to 20 years in prison, while HM faces up to 10 years behinds bars.

The government has been able to recover $3.6 billion.

 

[helpfulcharlie]

Stealing crypto is relatively easy. Getting it out of the system and usable is where they all get caught. It's surprisingly difficult. Especially when the stolen amount is so high -- all eyes are on that money for signs of life/movement.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Husband of 'Crocodile of Wall Street' pleads guilty to bitcoin theft

The couple involved in the $4.5billion theft of Bitcoin in the Bitfinex hack pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington, DC on Thursday.

www.dailymail.co.uk

It is an interesting story of "today", isn't it. I try to recollect how people made themselves 'famous' in past decades. If not in a criminal sense, I think that there were creative manipulators who "made the person famous". If in a criminal sense, the crime made the person famous.
But today narcissists rule the narrative. Loving your own image and projecting that image to the world....

What is the future of their story? I do have to wonder where they have hidden more from their heist. I wonder what she is going to come up with next. Once Narcissus sees his reflection in the well, there is no going back.

Anyway, thanks @Countem for keeping us 'in the know'.

 

[Countem]

Stealing crypto is relatively easy. Getting it out of the system and usable is where they all get caught. It's surprisingly difficult. Especially when the stolen amount is so high -- all eyes are on that money for signs of life/movement.

Yes! It seems like they were able to recover a majority of it for that very reason. It didn’t help them that the value ballooned after the heist!

It is an interesting story of "today", isn't it. I try to recollect how people made themselves 'famous' in past decades. If not in a criminal sense, I think that there were creative manipulators who "made the person famous". If in a criminal sense, the crime made the person famous.
But today narcissists rule the narrative. Loving your own image and projecting that image to the world....

What is the future of their story? I do have to wonder where they have hidden more from their heist. I wonder what she is going to come up with next. Once Narcissus sees his reflection in the well, there is no going back.

Anyway, thanks @Countem for keeping us 'in the know'.

Of course! I do wonder if they still have anything squirreled away for safekeeping.

 

[Countem]

Feds Reveal Hipster Crypto Couple’s Hilarious Attempt to Cover Their Tracks

In one instance, the flamboyant pair tossed a computer down a garbage chute in a desperate bid to stymie investigators.

www.thedailybeast.com

This article has a lot of good information in it, including IL and HM’s cover-up attempts, IL’s previous hacking activity, and, most interestingly, the US’s offering of a spot in the witness protection program for IL. Hm. Makes you wonder what he will be doing for the US.

 

[Countem]

‘Razzlekhan’: Amazon Is Turning $4 Billion Bitfinex Bitcoin Heist Into Feature Film - Decrypt

The film, directed by Hannah Marks, follows the life of the rapper-turned-crypto-thief and her husband, who pled guilty to the Bitcoin heist.

decrypt.co

Of course a feature film is going to be made….

 

[Countem]

Man Who Laundered Billions in Bitcoins Says Bitcoin Fog Was a Help: Bloomberg

Ilya Lichtenstein, who pleaded guilty in the Bitfinex case last year, is now a U.S. witness who testified about his use of Bitcoin Fog and other mixers to hide loot.

www.coindesk.com

Ilya Lichtenstein, who pleaded guilty in the Bitfinex case last year, is now a U.S. witness who testified about his use of Bitcoin Fog and other mixers to hide loot.

 

[Countem]

Bitfinex Hacker Ilya Lichtenstein Should Serve 5 Years in Prison, DOJ Says

Lichtenstein pleaded guilty to stealing nearly 120,000 bitcoins from Bitfinex in 2016, and then conspiring with his wife, Heather “Razzlelkhan” Morgan, to launder a portion of the funds.

www.coindesk.com

 

[Countem]

A hacker has been sentenced to five years in a US prison for laundering the proceeds of one of the biggest ever cryptocurrency thefts.

Morgan also pleaded guilty last year to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. She is due to be sentenced on 18 November.

US hacker sentenced over Bitcoin heist worth billions

Ilya Lichtenstein laundered the stolen cryptocurrency with his wife Heather Morgan aka Razzlekhan.

www.bbc.com

 

[Countem]

Morgan pleaded guilty to a single count of money-laundering conspiracy related to the stolen bitcoin and one count of conspiracy to defraud the US. On November 18, she was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Razzlekhan's music video for her new song, "Razzlekhan vs the United States," dropped Friday.

Heather Morgan heads to prison soon for her role in the Bitfinex hack, but her rap alter ego, Razzlekhan, is just getting started

Heather Morgan is releasing new music as her alter ego, Razzlekhan, before starting an 18-month prison sentence for her role in the Bitfinex hack.

www.businessinsider.com