Ilya Lichtenstein Receives Five-Year Sentence for Bitfinex Hack

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by Giorgi Kostiuk

2 years ago

Ilya Lichtenstein has been sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the 2016 Bitfinex hack and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Trial and Sentencing

On November 14, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced Ilya Lichtenstein to five years in prison following his guilty plea to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Prosecutors had recommended five years for the Bitfinex hacker for his involvement in the theft of Bitcoin (BTC), valued at billions of dollars at the time of publication.

History of the Hack

In 2016, Lichtenstein and his wife Heather Morgan, also known by her rapper name Razzlekhan, stole 119,754 BTC from the Bitfinex exchange. The pair allegedly laundered roughly 95,000 BTC prior to their arrest in February 2022.

Future Legal Proceedings

Heather Morgan is scheduled to be sentenced on November 18 and has requested the judge to impose no more prison time than her husband received. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and defraud the US. Additionally, FTX co-founder Gary Wang is soon to face sentencing in the FTX case.

The legal proceedings are ongoing, with updates expected as more information becomes available.

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