Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan, who are accused of laundering billions in stolen Bitcoin from the 2016 Bitfinex hack, have entered into a plea deal with federal prosecutors
Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan, who are accused of laundering billions of dollars in Bitcoin stolen from the Bitfinex exchange in 2016, have managed to reach a plea deal with federal prosecutors.
The couple, initially charged in early 2022, is set to appear for a plea hearing and arraignment on Aug. 3.
The parties must provide plea paperwork that details various aspects of their charges and potential penalties by no later than July 27.
The controversial couple was implicated in laundering 119,754 Bitcoin, now valued at over $4.5 billion, that were stolen in the 2016 Bitfinex hack, which significantly impacted Bitcoin’s value.
Morgan, a multi-talented individual who self-identifies as a rapper, economist, and CEO among other roles, and Lichtenstein allegedly moved the funds through a darknet exchange associated with various crimes.
They also allegedly provided false information to virtual currency exchanges and other financial institutions about the source of their funds and nature of their transactions, in an attempt to evade anti-money laundering and know-your-customer regulations, and to prevent the submission of suspicious activity reports.
Earlier this year, Morgan, while being under house arrest, secured a job with a confidential tech company as a growth marketing and business development specialist. Despite facing charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and defraud the United States, a federal judge granted her request to work three days a week in the company’s New York City office, a move to which federal prosecutors did not object.
