by Dan Mangan
Lichtenstein, 35, pleaded guilty to a money laundering conspiracy in August 2023, following his arrest in February 2022. During his trial, he admitted to orchestrating the hack, which involved over 2,000 unauthorized transactions to siphon off the Bitcoin. U.S. prosecutors called it one of the largest thefts from a virtual currency exchange and described Lichtenstein as “one of the greatest money launderers” in the cryptocurrency space.
Prosecutors noted that Lichtenstein engaged in some of the most complicated laundering techniques ever seen by IRS agents. Despite facing a maximum sentence of 20 years, Lichtenstein was sentenced to five years and will serve a further three years of supervised release. He will receive credit for 29 months already spent in custody and could be released in less than two years, depending on good behavior.
The Department of Justice also noted that it had seized over 94,000 of the stolen Bitcoin at the time of Lichtenstein’s arrest. That crypto, which was worth over $3.6 billion at the time, is now valued at nearly $8.3 billion.
Lichtenstein’s wife, Heather Morgan, who became involved in the laundering scheme three years after the hack, is scheduled for sentencing on Monday. Prosecutors have recommended an 18-month sentence for her.
