According to CoinDesk: Ilya Lichtenstein reiterated in a video posted on X that he acted alone to steal 120,000 bitcoins, denying speculation in a Netflix documentary.
Ilya Lichtenstein, who is in prison on charges related to the 2016 theft of 120,000 Bitcoin from Bitfinex, has made his first public statement since his 2022 arrest.
Lichtenstein reiterated that he was the only hacker, dismissing speculation that his wife or father knew about it.
He expressed remorse and said he planned to work in cybersecurity after his release.
Lichtenstein, who pleaded guilty last year to charges related to the 2016 theft of 120,000 bitcoin from Bitfinex, made his first public statement since his 2022 arrest.
In a five-minute video released on Thursday, Lichtenstein reiterated that he is the hacker and acted alone, denying speculation in the Netflix documentary that his father (or possibly some spy agency, maybe Russian) might have been involved in the theft.
“My father is not a hacker; he doesn’t even know how to use Instagram,” Lichtenstein said, as he was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiracy to launder money, including time served during the pending case.
“I sincerely apologize for all the stress caused to Bitfinex,” he said in the video, which was recorded from prison during a remote meeting with his wife. “I know what I did was wrong, but I did it anyway because I didn’t care… I look back at myself then, and I hate myself. I hate myself.”
In the video, Lichtenstein also updated on the status of his restitution for the stolen funds from Bitfinex.
“For the past three years, I have worked to account for and return all assets, down to the last satoshi, as my plea agreement requires, and I will continue to do so,” Lichtenstein said, with noticeable dark circles under his eyes. A restitution hearing is scheduled for February to determine whether the funds should go to Bitfinex or to customers affected by the hack.
Razzlekhan speaks
Lichtenstein's wife Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to launder money and a conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Prosecutors stated that she only realized the hacking incident years after it happened and was recruited by her husband to launder the stolen Bitcoin.
“In many ways, my wife… is just another victim of my poor decision-making,” Lichtenstein said in the video.
Last month, Morgan was sentenced to 18 months in prison for her supportive role in Lichtenstein's crimes.
“It’s great to have the public record of our case start to be clarified,” Morgan mentioned in an interview with CoinDesk about her husband’s released video. “You’d think this would happen after we submitted our sentencing memos, but it didn’t. There are still many myths I look forward to debunking when we tell the real story.”
Morgan is known for her comedic rap videos and recently started selling custom videos on Cameo for $125 each, a non-pornographic version of OnlyFans. Her imprisonment could begin as early as next month.
“Despite what you read, my Razzlekhan persona has nothing to do with this case, other than the government mentioning it in its indictment. I created Razzlekhan before I knew my husband was stealing from Bitfinex,” Morgan told CoinDesk.
“During the open period of our criminal case, I was unable to speak publicly or tell my story,” she said. “This also meant I couldn’t publish any articles or release any new artwork or songs for the past three years. Now that the case is over, I look forward to creating freely again… I long to tell the real story of what happened.”
