On Tuesday, the Department of Justice announced the arrest of a New York couple over conspiracy to launder billions of dollars worth of Bitcoin stolen from crypto exchange Bitfinex. The irony is that Ilya Lichtenstein, 34, and his wife, Heather Morgan, 31, are popular online for cybersecurity advice.
Couple Attempt Laundering Bitfinex Stolen Bitcoin
The Bitcoin to be laundered was attempting to launder part of the 120,000 BTC stolen in a 2016 hack of crypto exchange Bitfinex. The Feds seized a total of $3.6 billion in cryptocurrency, marking the largest financial seizure the department has ever recorded.
Heather Morgan has in the past offered advice to exchanges on how to protect themselves from cybersecurity attacks. It is safe to assume she was speaking from a very informed standpoint. Morgan even shared a presentation on social engineering attacks and has an article titled Experts Share Tips to Protect Your Business from Cybercriminals” on Forbes.
The Department of Justice reported that special agents managed to access files in an online account managed by Ilya Lichtenstein. The files contained private keys linked to the stolen Bitcoin. Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite Jr. said that the arrest proves that federal law can track money through blockchain to stop money launderers.
Elliptic, a blockchain analytics firm, alerted that the Bitfinex stolen Bitcoin moved. According to the firm, Bitcoin was laundered for over five years from the hack. Allegedly, close to $700 million worth of Bitcoin was moved in April 2021 through darknet markets like Hydra and privacy-focused Wasabi wallet.
Couple Facing Up to A Maximum of 25 Years in Prison
Ilya and Heather were arrested in Manhattan on Tuesday morning. They are facing charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to defraud the United States. The first charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, while the latter carries five years in prison.
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