On November 15, 2024, in Washington, a U.S. hacker, Ilya Lichtenstein, was sentenced to five years in prison for laundering approximately $4.5 billion worth of Bitcoin stolen from Bitfinex, a major cryptocurrency exchange.
Lichtenstein, 35, hacked into Bitfinex's network in 2016, authorizing over 2,000 fraudulent transactions that transferred 119,754 Bitcoin to a wallet he controlled. Alongside his wife, Heather Morgan, he laundered the stolen cryptocurrency.
Both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering last August. In addition to his prison term, Lichtenstein received three years of supervised release. Morgan's sentencing is set for November 18, 2024.
As part of the investigation, $3.6 billion in assets were recovered, highlighting the ongoing efforts to combat cryptocurrency-related crimes.