“Bitcoin Bonnie & Clyde” Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan to plead guilty to alleged $4.5 billion cryptocurrency laundering scheme

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By Shannon Thaler

July 21, 2023 | 3:10 p.m.

Crypto thieves couple Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan, accused of laundering $4.5 billion worth of hacked Bitcoin in 2016, are reportedly preparing to plead guilty ahead of their next court appearance on August 3.

Bitcoin so-called Bonnie & Clyde was recently charged in the case with a document known as a notice, which sets out criminal charges and is similar to an indictment, but does not require a grand jury vote, a Washington, DC federal court document filed on Friday showed.

Federal prosecutors are known to use special documents when defendants agree to plead guilty.

Lichtenstein, 34, of Russian descent, and his wife Morgan, 32, previously pleaded not guilty in a February 2022 case that charged them with money laundering and conspiracy to defraud in the United States.

The couple were arrested in their Manhattan apartment earlier this month for allegedly attempting to launder an incredible $4.5 billion in cryptocurrency that was stolen from Hong Kong Bitfinex, one of the world’s largest virtual cryptocurrency exchanges, in 2016.

A new court filing suggests Ilya Lichtenstein (right) and Heather Morgan (left), who were charged with laundering $4.5 billion worth of hacked bitcoins in 2016, appear to be preparing to plead guilty. Alexandria Adult Detention Center

Federal authorities accused the couple of attempting to launder 119,754 bitcoins. At the time of the theft, the crypto was around $70 million.

However, at the time of their arrest, the price ballooned into the billions. Today, 119,754 bitcoins are worth nearly $3.6 billion.

Lichtenstein, a Russian émigré known as Dutch, has not been released on bail and has been in a Washington, DC jail since his arrest after being charged with a flight risk.

Morgan better known as the dubious rapper Razzlekhan who shares songs about being the crocodile of Wall Street is free on a $3 million bond pending the outcome of negotiations.

The nature of the charges set out in the document are confidential, although court records showed District of Columbia Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered the couple’s defense to provide plea documents by Friday.

Judge Kollar-Kotelly said defendants’ documents must include the offenses charged and the statutory provisions; charge(s) in advocacy and legal disposition; elements of the offence; copy of the plea agreement; penalties; And [federal sentencing] indicative calculations, according to the file.

Lichtenstein, 34, of Russian descent, and his wife Morgan, 32, previously pleaded not guilty in a February 2022 case that charged them with money laundering and conspiracy to defraud in the United States. Instagram/heatherreyhan

The Post contacted Lichtenstein’s attorney at Cahill Gordon & Reindell, as well as Morgan’s legal team at Burnham & Gorokhov.

If convicted, Lichtenstein and Morgan face up to 25 years behind bars. It’s unclear how a plea deal might affect their sentence.

Morgan spent her 24 hours under house arrest locked in the rented Wall Street skyscraper she once shared with her husband.

The downtime prompted Morgan to seek remote work. In September, she tweeted saying: Remote B2B growth research/marketing/sales/copywriting/demand generation work. May be contract or potentially full-time. Have 10 years of experience, including remote management of distributed teams.

Morgan, a rapper who goes by Razzlekhan, was freed on $3 million bail while Russian émigré Lichtenstein has been jailed in Washington, DC since last February.YouTube

She also asked that only serious opportunities with B2B (tech) companies arise.

The message came before a judge granted Morgan’s request to change the terms of his home confinement.

In January, U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui ruled she could work from her employer’s office in New York City three days a week, from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

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Seeking remote B2B growth/marketing/sales/copywriting/demand generation work. Can be contract or potentially full-time. Have 10 years of experience, including remote management of distributed teams.

DM me to chat. Serious opportunities with B2B (tech) companies only. THANKS!

Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan (@HeatherReyhan) September 8, 2022

Faruqui also allowed Morgan to use a computer and a smartphone with monitoring software installed on both in order to work from home, although she remained prohibited from performing cryptocurrency transactions.

Morgan’s tweet appears to have worked, as her attorney, Eugene Gorokhov, said in a court filing that she served as a growth marketing and business development specialist. The identity of his employer has been kept confidential for security reasons.

Aside from the tweet about Morgans job search, she has remained silent on all social media fronts, even stopping her YouTube videos where she shared rap songs, ironically, about being a hacking nerd.

On Instagram, the last post shared on the Razzlekhans account was on February 7, 2022, where Morgan recorded herself complaining that she feels like a tortured dog going to the vet when she goes to the nail salon.

Filed under bitcoin, bitcoins, bonnie and clyde, cryptocurrency, heist, heist, money, money laundering, plea deals, rappers, wall street, 7/21/23

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