Ilya Lichtenstein, the Bitfinex hacker who pleaded guilty to the theft of 120,000 BTC from the exchange, has released his initial public statement.
Ilya Lichtenstein, the Bitfinex hacker who pleaded guilty last year to the 2016 theft of 120,000 Bitcoin from the exchange, has made his first public statement since his arrest in 2022.
In a five-minute video posted to X, Lichtenstein acknowledged his sole responsibility for the hack and stated that he had acted alone. The statement refuted the rumors, further fueled by a Netflix documentary series, that his father may have been responsible for the incident.
The Bitfinex hacker has broken his silence
Ilya Lichtenstein, the self-proclaimed Bitfinex hacker and mastermind behind the 2016 theft of 120,000 Bitcoin, addressed the public for the first time since his arrest in 2022.
Lichtenstein reiterated his status as the sole perpetrator of the offense in a video released on Tuesday. Additionally, he denied allegations that his father was involved or that he had connections to a Russian spy agency in the Netflix documentary.
Lichtenstein also expressed his regret and elaborated on his plans for life after his prison sentence. “I intend to pursue employment in the cybersecurity sector upon my release from prison,” he stated, underscoring his newfound comprehension of cyber threats and his dedication to their mitigation. The time he has already served since his arrest in 2022, during which the case was pending, is included in his five-year sentence.
He declared:
“My dad is no hacker, he doesn’t even know how to use Instagram. I offer my sincerest apologies to Bitfinex for all the stress that I have caused them. I knew what I was doing was wrong and I did it anyway because I didn’t care … I look back at the person I was then, and I hate myself. I hate myself.”
He addressed the restitution process for the funds stolen from the exchange. The Bitfinex hacker stated that he has been diligently working to account for and return all assets that were required by the plea over the past three years. Additionally, he declared that he would persist in this behavior.
In February, a hearing regarding restitution will be conducted to ascertain whether the funds were returned to Bitfinex or directly to its users.
Exchange hacks are not novel. The Delhi High Court recently ordered a new investigation, severely affecting the Indian crypto exchange WazirX. The court rejected the status report submitted by the Delhi police in connection with the WazirX hack case and requested a new investigation. Furthermore, there were reports of a hack attack on Gate exchange just a few days ago, which advised users to withdraw their funds.
Morgan, also known as “Razzlekhan,” Acknowledges His Contribution to the Laundering of Stolen Bitcoin
Heather Morgan, also known as “Razzlekhan,” the Bitfinex hacker’s wife, entered a guilty plea. The charges included conspiracy to defraud the United States and money laundering. Mar prosecutors informed Morgan of the Bitfinex hack years later, and Lichtenstein requested her assistance laundering the Bitcoins.
Morgan, who was recognized for her unconventional rap videos, was sentenced to 18 months in prison just last month for her involvement in the scheme. She had recently been selling her videos on Cameo for $125 each. She may be required to report to prison as early as the following month. In 2016, Bitcoin was valued at $70 million, currently valued at approximately $12 billion.
According to the Netflix documentary on the case, a substantial portion of the stolen money remains unaccounted for. Nevertheless, Lichtenstein refuted the assertion, asserting that all funds had been accounted for.
