New York couple accused of laundering Bitfinex-hacked bitcoins agree to plead guilty

A New York couple, accused of laundering billions of dollars’ worth of Bitcoin linked to the Bitfinex exchange hack in 2016, has agreed to plead guilty. The Block reports.

According to court filings, hearings regarding the plea deal between the defendants and prosecutors are set for early August.

U.S. authorities detained Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan in February 2022. They seized 94,643 BTC ($3.6 billion at the time) from the 119,754 BTC stolen from the exchange.

The court released Morgan on a $3 million bond; Lichtenstein remains in custody. If convicted on the charges, they face up to 25 years in prison.

It is expected that, after the plea deal with the couple, the prosecution will be able to seize the cryptocurrency tied to the investigation.

In July, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security returned a portion of Bitfinex’s funds stolen from the exchange. The amount consists of 6.917 BCH and $312,219.70 in cash.