The US Justice Department has announced the arrest of two individuals for an alleged conspiracy to launder cryptocurrency that was stolen during the 2016 hack of Bitfinex, one of the biggest and oldest crypto exchange.
“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,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco.
$3.6 billion worth of crypto has been seized related to the hack, the Justice Department said.
Ilya Lichtenstein, 34, and his wife, Heather Morgan, 31, both of New York, are scheduled to make their initial appearances in federal court today at 3:00 p.m. in Manhattan.
They are accused of conspiring to launder 119,754 bitcoin stolen from Bitfinex, a sum that recently moved according to blockchain data.
Source: https://www.trustnodes.com/2022/02/08/bitfinex-thieves-arrested-3-6-billion-bitcoin-seized