Bitfinex US Hacker Gets 5 Years Prison Sentence

A man has been given a five-year prison sentence for his involvement in stealing and laundering about 120,000 bitcoin, valued at over $11 billion based on current prices, from the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex.

Ilya Lichtenstein, aged 35, and his wife Heather Morgan were responsible for hacking into Bitfinex’s system in 2016 and then laundering the stolen funds.

The incident was one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchange thefts in history, with US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly noting that it was a carefully planned act and not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

She emphasized the importance of punishing these crimes and sending a message that there are consequences for such actions.

Lichtenstein, who has spent two years and nine months in jail since his arrest in February 2022, expressed regret for using his abilities for illegal activities instead of making a positive impact on society.