Bitcoin hacker sentenced to five years in prison

Published On Nov 14, 2024, 9:45 PM

Ilya Lichtenstein has been sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the 2016 hacking of the Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange, resulting in the theft of nearly 20,000 bitcoins, valued at about $70 million at the time. The value of the stolen bitcoins surged to over $4.5 billion by the time of their arrest. Lichtenstein, who expressed remorse, had used sophisticated methods to launder the stolen funds, while his wife, Heather Morgan, used a public persona to promote her music career. Morgan is set to be sentenced in November.