By Kanishka Singh November 14, 2024
WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - A New York tech entrepreneur was sentenced to five years in prison. He pleaded guilty last year for laundering funds stolen from Bitfinex, one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges. He did this with the help of his wife.
Ilya Lichtenstein, 35, hacked into Bitfinex's network in 2016. He used advanced tools and techniques to steal about 120,000 bitcoin. The U.S. Justice Department said this.
He and his wife Heather Morgan, known as "Razzklekhan," were arrested in February 2022.
The stolen bitcoin was worth $71 million at first. But by the time of their arrests, it was over $4.5 billion.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said it was the biggest financial seizure in U.S. history. They recovered $3.6 billion in assets from the couple.
Morgan also pleaded guilty last year to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. She is set to be sentenced on Nov. 18.
Lichtenstein was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release. The U.S. Justice Department announced this.
