Bitcoin

Helix

A couple allegedly involved in laundering money from the 2016 Bitfinex crypto exchange hack has reportedly agreed to a plea deal with U.S. authorities. Following the seizure of around $3.6 billion in <a href="https://news.todayq.com/crypto-trio-soars-bitcoin-ethereum-dogecoin-on-fire-in-bull-rally/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bitcoin</a> linked to the hack, Ilya Lichtenstein, who was once a prominent defendant has now turned into a government witness.&nbsp; 
In the wake of the Bitfinex hack, he’s now on the record about how he disguised laundered assets using a mixing service. Apparently one of the biggest Bitcoin thefts in history used these methods. Who is the witness Ilya Lichtenstein? 
Ilya Lichtenstein spoke as a witness for the US government in a trial about moving illegal money in Washington. He told a jury on Tuesday that he got into Bitfinex’s systems for a few months. Bloomberg reports that he admitted to hacking into people’s accounts on other crypto websites like Coinbase and Kraken. 
He pleaded guilty along with his wife, Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan and shared that he used different tools, including Bitcoin Fog, to hide the money he got from the Bitfinex hack. However, he said this wasn’t his main way of cleaning the money, as reported by Bloomberg. 
Lichtenstein explained that he used a service called Bitcoin Fog about 10 times to clean some of the stolen money. The <a href="https://news.todayq.com/us-government-targets-54-million-in-illicit-crypto-from-new-jersey-drug-ring/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">US government</a> says Roman Sterlingov ran this service and got millions from illegal drug markets. But Sterlingov’s lawyer, Tor Ekeland, argues there’s no proof like eyewitnesses or server logs to connect his client to the service. 
He justification for doing because his tech business in San Francisco was struggling. “At the time, my business was struggling and I was feeling very burnt out from it,” Lichtenstein told the jurors. The biggest theft in US 
When the couple was arrested, the government said they tried to move $4.5 billion in stolen Bitcoin. The government took $3.6 billion, the biggest seizure ever. Later they seized another $475 million from the hack. 
The husband, who spoke as a witness for the US government in a trial about moving illegal money in Washington, told a jury on Tuesday that he got into Bitfinex’s systems for a few months. Although he used Bitcoin Fog initially, he switched to other mixers like Helix saying, ” it suited his purposes better.” He also disclosed employing a method to save customer passwords from Bitfinex to access accounts at other exchanges, aiding in laundering activities. 
As per reports, Lichtenstein spent money on crypto exchanges and bought accounts on the darknet with fake identities. Despite accusations of drug use during the hacks, he asserted his preference for sobriety during such operations. At his plea hearing he admitted to executing the 2016 attack on Bitfinex. Enlisted his wife to help conceal the source of the stolen funds. 
Deposits and withdrawals from crypto exchanges and darknet markets helped hide transaction trails. They bought NFTs, gold, and Walmart gift cards with the diverted funds, the government claims. 
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Bitfinex hackers turn witnesses laundered billions in BTC, reveals tactics

Todayq News

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