Current:Home > ScamsMan who stole and laundered roughly $1B in bitcoin is sentenced to 5 years in prison -AssetVision
Man who stole and laundered roughly $1B in bitcoin is sentenced to 5 years in prison
View
Date:2025-04-15 10:01:36
WASHINGTON (AP) — A computer expert who stole bitcoin worth billions of dollars at current prices — and then spent years laundering some of the hacked cryptocurrency with help from his wife — was sentenced on Thursday to five years in prison.
Ilya Lichtenstein masterminded one of the largest-ever thefts from a virtual currency exchange before he and his wife, Heather Rhiannon Morgan, carried out an elaborate scheme to liquidate the stolen funds, according to federal prosecutors.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly told Lichtenstein that his theft was “meticulously planned” and not an impulsive act.
“It’s important to send a message that you can’t commit these crimes with impunity, that there are consequences to them,” she said.
Lichtenstein, who gets credit for the two years and nine months that he has spent in jail since his February 2022 arrest, expressed remorse for “wasting my talents on crime instead of a positive contribution to society.” He said he hopes that he can apply his expertise to fight cybercrime when he gets out of prison.
“I want to take full responsibility for my actions and make amends any way I can,” he said.
The judge is scheduled to sentence Morgan on Monday. Lichtenstein pleaded with the judge to spare his wife from prison, blaming himself for her involvement.
What to know about Trump’s second term:
High food prices: Americans are fed up with the price of food, and many are looking to President-elect Donald Trump to lower their grocery bills. But many economists think Trump’s plans could make food prices rise.
- Staffing the administration: Here are the people Trump has picked for key positions so far. Plus, a look at recess appointments and how could Trump use them to fill his Cabinet.
Follow all of our coverage as Donald Trump assembles his second administration.
In August 2016, Lichtenstein hacked into a virtual currency exchange, Hong Kong-based Bitfinex, and stole approximately 120,000 bitcoin. It was worth approximately $71 million at the time of the hack and would be valued at more than $7.6 billion at current market prices, according to prosecutors.
Several months later, Lichtenstein began moving the stolen bitcoin in a string of complex transactions designed to conceal its path across a series of accounts and platforms. He enlisted his wife’s help in cleaning the stolen funds.
Lichtenstein, an entrepreneur and cryptocurrency investor, is a U.S. citizen who was born in Russia and grew up in a Chicago suburb. Morgan, a business owner and writer, adopted the alter ego “ Razzlekhan ” for performing rap songs and recording videos for her music.
Lichtenstein and Morgan were living in New York City when they were arrested in February 2022. They had been living in San Francisco around the time of the hack.
Prosecutors recommended a five-year prison sentence for Lichtenstein, who pleaded guilty in August 2023 to one count of money laundering conspiracy. They recommended an 18-month prison sentence for Morgan, who pleaded guilty to the same charge.
“Neither the hack nor the laundering scheme was an impulsive decision. The defendant (Lichtenstein) spent months attempting to gain access to Bitfinex’s infrastructure and get the accesses and permissions he needed in order to orchestrate his hack,” prosecutors wrote.
Lichtenstein told his wife about the hack over three years later, but he initially solicited her help in laundering the proceeds “without explaining exactly what he was doing,” according to prosecutors.
Morgan “was certainly a willing participant and bears full responsibility for her actions, but she was a lower-level participant,” prosecutors wrote.
During family trips to Kazakhstan and Ukraine, Lichtenstein met with couriers who delivered him money that he smuggled back into the U.S.
“Over half a decade, the defendant engaged in what IRS agents described as the most complicated money laundering techniques they had seen to date,” prosecutors wrote.
Bitcoin is the largest and oldest cryptocurrency, which is digital money that typically isn’t backed by any government or banking institution. Transactions get recorded with technology called a blockchain.
The couple successfully laundered about 21 percent of the funds stolen from Bitfinex. The laundered money was worth at least $14 million at 2016 prices. Its value would have exceeded $1 billion at the time of their 2022 arrest.
Authorities seized the remaining funds, collectively valued at over $6 billion at current prices.
“He became one of the greatest money launderers that the government has encountered in the cryptocurrency space,” prosecutors wrote.
An attorney for Bitfinex said the hack “devastated” its finances and its reputation with its customers, with the stolen funds accounting for approximately 36% of the company’s assets at the time of theft.
“Bitfinex had to take unprecedented and immediate action to ensure that any losses from the Hack would ultimately be borne by Bitfinex and its shareholders alone, not its customers,” the lawyer, Barry Berke, wrote in a letter to the judge.
A prosecutor said Lichtenstein immediately began cooperating with federal authorities after his arrest, helping them with other cybercrime investigations.
Over 96% of the stolen funds have been recovered, with help from Lichtenstein, according to defense attorney Samson Enzer. The “vast bulk” of the stolen money was never spent, the lawyer said.
“This is not an evil person,” Enzer said. “This is a good person who made some very bad mistakes.”
___
veryGood! (68278)
Related
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Disney World board picked by DeSantis says predecessors stripped them of power
- After Ida, Louisiana Struggles to Tally the Environmental Cost. Activists Say Officials Must Do Better
- The NBA and its players have a deal for a new labor agreement
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Climate Advocates Hoping Biden Would Declare a Climate Emergency Are Disappointed by the Small Steps He Announced on Wednesday
- The wide open possibility of the high seas
- After Fukushima, a Fundamental Renewable Energy Shift in Japan Never Happened. Could Global Climate Concerns Bring it Today?
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- As Lake Powell Hits Landmark Low, Arizona Looks to a $1 Billion Investment and Mexican Seawater to Slake its Thirst
Ranking
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- The FBI raided a notable journalist's home. Rolling Stone didn't tell readers why
- Bill Gates’ Vision for Next-Generation Nuclear Power in Wyoming Coal Country
- New $2 billion Oklahoma theme park announced, and it's not part of the Magic Kingdom
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Yes, You Can Stay at Barbie's Malibu DreamHouse Because Life in Plastic Is Fantastic
- Why Taylor Lautner Doesn't Want a Twilight Reboot
- The International Criminal Court Turns 20 in Turbulent Times. Should ‘Ecocide’ Be Added to its List of Crimes?
Recommendation
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
Sophia Culpo Seemingly Shades Ex Braxton Berrios and His Rumored Girlfriend Alix Earle
College student falls hundreds of feet to his death while climbing Oregon mountain with his girlfriend
NASCAR Addresses Jimmie Johnson Family Tragedy After In-Laws Die in Apparent Murder-Suicide
From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
Disney blocked DeSantis' oversight board. What happens next?
After Fukushima, a Fundamental Renewable Energy Shift in Japan Never Happened. Could Global Climate Concerns Bring it Today?
Kate Spade 24-Hour Flash Deal: Get This $330 Bucket Bag for Just $89
Like
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Michigan clerk stripped of election duties after he was charged with acting as fake elector in 2020 election
- The EPA Placed a Texas Superfund Site on its National Priorities List in 2018. Why Is the Health Threat Still Unknown?