Within the newest growth of the Bitfinex hack saga, Heather Morgan, referred to as “Razzlekhan,” was sentenced to 18 months for laundering the 120,000 Bitcoin stolen in 2016. The Courtroom choice follows her husband’s 5-year sentence for cash laundering and conspiracy to steal.
Razzlekhan: From Rapper To ‘Bitcoin Bonnie’
Heather Morgan, spouse of the mastermind behind the 2016 Bitfinex large hack, was sentenced on Monday by a federal choose in Washington for serving to her husband, Ilya Lichtenstein, to launder practically 120,000 Bitcoin (BTC).
Morgan can also be identified for her rap movies beneath her stage identify “Razzlekhan.” The self-titled “Crocodile of Wall Avenue” has amassed a whole bunch of 1000’s of views in her movies, which turned viral after the couple’s arrest in 2022.
Based on the US Division of Justice (DOJ), Morgan’s husband used superior hacking strategies and instruments to entry Bitfinex’s community. After breaching the crypto change, Lichtenstein transferred 119,574 Bitcoin to one in every of his crypto wallets by greater than 2,000 transactions.
The stolen funds have been valued at round $71 million in 2016. Nevertheless, its worth has considerably elevated all through the years, now price practically $11 billion after Bitcoin surged above $90,000 within the final seven days.
Regardless of not being concerned within the hack, Morgan assisted her husband in laundering the stolen Bitcoin, utilizing “quite a few subtle laundering strategies” to disguise the funds.
Based on the prosecutors, Lichtenstein said that Morgan didn’t discover out in regards to the hack till 2019 however solicited her assist to cover the funds “with out explaining precisely what he was doing.” The couple reportedly managed to launder 21% of the stolen funds.
The “Bitcoin Bonnie and Clyde” used faux identities to create on-line accounts, deposited the stolen Bitcoin in a number of darknet markets and crypto exchanges to withdraw the funds, transformed Bitcoin to different cryptocurrencies, and deposited a part of the funds into crypto mixers.
Bitfinex Hack Saga Ends With Diminished Jail Sentence
In August 2023, Morgan and Lichtenstein pleaded responsible to conspiracy to commit cash laundering. On November 18, District Courtroom Decide Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced Morgan to 18 months, 4 days after her husband’s sentence.
Prosecutors argued that she was “actually a prepared participant and bears full accountability for her actions.” Nevertheless, they famous that Morgan was “a lower-level participant,” which resulted in her lowered sentence.
Regardless of cooperating with authorities and showing “genuinely remorseful and unlikely to be a repeat offender,” the Decide thought of that Morgan needed to face jail to serve for example and assist dissuade others from comparable crimes.
In the meantime, Lichtenstein acquired a 5-year sentence after cooperating with authorities in different crypto hacks. Throughout his listening to, the mastermind behind the Bitfinex hack reportedly expressed regret for utilizing his abilities on felony actions “as an alternative of a constructive contribution to society.”
Following the information of her sentence, Morgan launched an announcement on X. Within the video, she apologized to her followers for disappearing and defined that she spent the final three years “battling a Fed case” and was “listening to her attorneys.”
In the end, she introduced that she would share her story and ideas now that the case is over. As reported by Bitcoinist, Amazon greenlighted a movie titled “Razzlekhan” in regards to the Bitfinex hack earlier this 12 months and can collaborate with MGM Studios on the manufacturing.
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