Crypto’s wild west got a little less chaotic after Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein snagged a five-year prison sentence. The 2016 Bitfinex hacker, who tried to wash 120,000 BTC through crypto mixers and darknet mazes, finally saw the gavel drop. Bloomberg spilled the beans on Thursday, confirming this milestone in crypto crime history.
Five Years for $10 Billion in Bitcoin Heists
Back in the day, Lichtenstein allegedly popped the locks on Bitfinex, siphoning 120K bitcoin worth $72 million then—but now, try $10.7 billion. He and his partner-in-crime-slash-spouse Heather Morgan, a.k.a. “Razzlekhan,” spun their loot through mixers, darknet deals, and multi-layered transactions. The DOJ called it the biggest crypto haul they’ve ever snagged back.
The guy wasn’t just hacking; he was making moves in the shadows, but cooperation worked in his favor. Prosecutors tossed him a bone for his help, not just on his case but on other probes, like Bitcoin Fog. That goodwill chopped down his potential 20-year sentence to a lean five.
“Razzlekhan” Awaits Her Verse
Meanwhile, Morgan’s encore in court drops on November 18. Her role? Less heavy-lifting, more assist-mode in the laundering conspiracy. Prosecutors think 18 months will do the trick for her. But her rap career as “Razzlekhan” probably won’t get a reboot anytime soon.
The guilty pleas rolled out back in August 2023, tying up the loose ends of a hack that rocked the crypto world. This saga isn’t just a story of big money; it’s a lesson in how crime doesn’t pay—even in the decentralized underworld of blockchain.
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