Couple behind Bitfinex money laundering scheme agree plea deal with US prosecutors

A husband and wife accused of laundering billions of dollars in bitcoin linked to the 2016 Bitfinex hack have entered into a plea agreement with authorities in the United States.

Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan are scheduled to appear for an arraignment and hearing on August 3 as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, according to records filed in the US District Court in the District of Columbia on July 21. The pair were charged with money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to defraud the United States, and are expected to seize digital assets linked to the case.

Following the August 2016 hack of crypto exchange Bitfinex, in which approximately 119,754 bitcoins (BTC) were stolen, Lichtenstein and Morgan allegedly siphoned off more than 94,643 BTC “in a series of small, complex transactions across multiple accounts and platforms”. robbed of Authorities arrested the two in New York in February 2022.

This is a developing story, and more information will be added as it becomes available.