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In the latest development of the Bitfinex hack saga, Heather Morgan, known as “Razzlekhan,” was sentenced to 18 months for laundering the 120,000 Bitcoin stolen in 2016. The Court decision follows her husband’s 5-year sentence for money laundering and conspiracy to steal.
Razzlekhan: From Rapper To ‘Bitcoin Bonnie’
Heather Morgan, wife of the mastermind behind the 2016 Bitfinex massive hack, was sentenced on Monday by a federal judge in Washington for helping her husband, Ilya Lichtenstein, to launder nearly 120,000 Bitcoin (BTC).
Morgan is also known for her rap videos under her stage name “Razzlekhan.” The self-titled “Crocodile of Wall Street” has amassed hundreds of thousands of views in her videos, which became viral after the couple’s arrest in 2022.
According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Morgan’s husband used advanced hacking techniques and tools to access Bitfinex’s network. After breaching the crypto exchange, Lichtenstein transferred 119,574 Bitcoin to one of his crypto wallets through more than 2,000 transactions.
The stolen funds were valued at around $71 million in 2016. However, its value has significantly increased throughout the years, now worth nearly $11 billion after Bitcoin surged above $90,000 in the last seven days.
Despite not being involved in the hack, Morgan assisted her husband in laundering the stolen Bitcoin, using “numerous sophisticated laundering techniques” to disguise the funds.
According to the prosecutors, Lichtenstein stated that Morgan didn’t find out about the hack until 2019 but solicited her help to hide the funds “without explaining exactly what he was doing.” The couple reportedly managed to launder 21% of the stolen funds.
The “Bitcoin Bonnie and Clyde” used fake identities to create online accounts, deposited the stolen Bitcoin in several darknet markets and crypto exchanges to withdraw the funds, converted Bitcoin to other cryptocurrencies, and deposited part of the funds into crypto mixers.
Bitfinex Hack Saga Ends With Reduced Prison Sentence
In August 2023, Morgan and Lichtenstein pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. On November 18, District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced Morgan to 18 months, four days after her husband’s sentence.
Prosecutors argued that she was “certainly a willing participant and bears full responsibility for her actions.” However, they noted that Morgan was “a lower-level participant,” which resulted in her reduced sentence.
Despite cooperating with authorities and appearing “genuinely remorseful and unlikely to be a repeat offender,” the Judge considered that Morgan had to face prison to serve as an example and help dissuade others from similar crimes.
Meanwhile, Lichtenstein received a 5-year sentence after cooperating with authorities in other crypto hacks. During his hearing, the mastermind behind the Bitfinex hack reportedly expressed remorse for using his talents on criminal activities “instead of a positive contribution to society.”
Following the news of her sentence, Morgan released a statement on X. In the video, she apologized to her followers for disappearing and explained that she spent the last three years “battling a Fed case” and was “listening to her lawyers.”
Ultimately, she announced that she would share her story and thoughts now that the case is over. As reported by Bitcoinist, Amazon greenlighted a film titled “Razzlekhan” about the Bitfinex hack earlier this year and will collaborate with MGM Studios on the production.
Bitcoin is trading at $92,344 in the weekly chart. Source: BTCUSDT on TradingView
Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com
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