WASHINGTON (AP) — A computer expert who stole bitcoin worth billions of dollars at current prices — and then spent years laundering some of the hacked cryptocurrency with help from his wife — was sentenced on Thursday to five years in prison.
Ilya Lichtenstein masterminded one of the largest-ever thefts from a virtual currency exchange before he and his wife, Heather Rhiannon Morgan, carried out an elaborate scheme to liquidate the stolen funds, according to federal prosecutors.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly told Lichtenstein that his theft was “meticulously planned” and not an impulsive act.
“It’s important to send a message that you can’t commit these crimes with impunity, that there are consequences to them,” she said.
Lichtenstein, who gets credit for the two years and nine months that he has spent in jail since his February 2022 arrest, expressed remorse for “wasting my talents on crime instead of a positive contribution to society.” He said he hopes that he can apply his expertise to fight cybercrime when he gets out of prison.
“I want to take full responsibility for my actions and make amends any way I can,” he said.
The judge is scheduled to sentence Morgan on Monday. Lichtenstein pleaded with the judge to spare his wife from prison, blaming himself for her involvement.
In August 2016, Lichtenstein hacked into a virtual currency exchange, Hong Kong-based Bitfinex, and stole approximately 120,000 bitcoin. It was worth approximately $71 million at the time of the hack and would be valued at more than $7.6 billion at current market prices, according to prosecutors.
Several months later, Lichtenstein began moving the stolen bitcoin in a string of complex transactions designed to conceal its path across a series of accounts and platforms. He enlisted his wife’s help in cleaning the stolen funds.
Lichtenstein, an entrepreneur and cryptocurrency investor, is a U.S. citizen who was born in Russia and grew up in a Chicago suburb. Morgan, a business owner and writer, adopted the alter ego “ Razzlekhan ” for performing rap songs and recording videos for her music.
Lichtenstein and Morgan were living in New York City when they were arrested in February 2022. They had been living in San Francisco around the time of the hack.
Prosecutors recommended a five-year prison sentence for Lichtenstein, who pleaded guilty in August 2023 to one count of money laundering conspiracy. They recommended an 18-month prison sentence for Morgan, who pleaded guilty to the same charge.
“Neither the hack nor the laundering scheme was an impulsive decision. The defendant (Lichtenstein) spent months attempting to gain access to Bitfinex’s infrastructure and get the accesses and permissions he needed in order to orchestrate his hack,” prosecutors wrote.