ILYA Lichtenstein breached Bitfinex in 2016, kicking off a plan that ultimately involved his spouse in laundering massive amounts of Bitcoin.
The unbelievable theft will be featured in the Netflix film Biggest Heist Ever, set to premiere on December 6, 2024.
Rapstar wife
Originally from Russia, Ilya Lichtenstein was raised in the United States.
He married Heather Morgan, an entrepreneur who owned an email marketing firm named SalesFolk.
Morgan also had an online rap persona named Razzlekhan, which went viral online after the couple’s crimes were uncovered.
She described herself as the “Crocodile of Wall Street” and dedicated a song to “the entrepreneurs and hackers, all the misfits and smart slackers”.
Billion-dollar scheme
Lichtenstein hacked into Bitfinex in 2016 and began a heist which would eventually see his wife launder $4.5 billion in Bitcoin.
The couple would hide the stolen currency in online wallets, under fake identities.
Next, they would mix it with other funds on the darkweb.
They also established shell companies to make their Bitcoin look legitimate.
Their scheme unravelled when Morgan used the stolen money to buy Walmart vouchers, which alerted the police to the location of the currency.
The pair were arrested in February 2022 allegedly laundering billions in stolen Bitcoin.
An investigation by the police into Lichtenstein and Morgan uncovered that they had over 95,000 stolen Bitcoins.
Facing justice
Lichtenstein pleaded guilty to hacking Bitfinex and received a five year prison sentence for his crime.
His wife, Morgan, was sentenced to 18 months in prison on November 18, 2024.
Their billion-dollar heist will be explored in Netflix’s Biggest Heist Ever which will be available to stream from December 6, 2024.
