Wild Hipster Couple Accused in $4.5 Billion Crypto Crime

[Nevilledog]

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The Daily Beast
@thedailybeast
Heather Rhiannon Morgan has been a Forbes contributor, advising burnt-out execs to “try rapping” in order to recharge their batteries. One article she wrote in 2020 was even titled, “Experts Share Tips To Protect Your Business From Cybercriminals.”

thedailybeast.com
Wild Hipster Couple Accused in $4.5 Billion Crypto Crime
A rapping tech entrepreneur and her husband allegedly laundered billions in hacked cryptocurrency.
4:20 PM · Feb 8, 2022

https://www.thedailybeast.com/heather-morgan-rapping-tech-ceo-accused-of-laundering-billions-in-hacked-crypto-with-ilya-lichtenstein?via=twitter_page

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Bitcoin. NFTs. A PPP loan. And a rapping tech entrepreneur.

A New York City couple were arrested Tuesday morning by federal agents on charges of laundering some $4.5 billion stolen in a massive 2016 cryptocurrency exchange breach.

As might be expected in 2022, the latest federal law enforcement takedown features the buzziest of buzzworthy themes—as well as some pretty awful rap lyrics.

Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein, 34, and his wife, Heather Rhiannon Morgan, 31, are accused of helping to “wash” 119,754 Bitcoin pilfered from Bitfinex and allegedly transferred into a digital wallet controlled by Lichtenstein, a dual citizen of both the U.S. and Russia, prosecutors announced. Court documents describe an incredibly complex investigation carried out by special agents with the IRS, FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security.

“Today’s arrests, and the department’s largest financial seizure ever, show that cryptocurrency is not a safe haven for criminals,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco said in a statement. “In a futile effort to maintain digital anonymity, the defendants laundered stolen funds through a labyrinth of cryptocurrency transactions. Thanks to the meticulous work of law enforcement, the department once again showed how it can and will follow the money, no matter what form it takes.”

*snip*

[BeyondGeography]

1. See, Bitcoin is good for something

Until it isn’t.