Ilya Lichtenstein, who pled responsible final 12 months to expenses associated to the 2016 theft of 120,000 bitcoin from Bitfinex, has made his first public assertion since his 2022 arrest.
In a five-minute video posted to X (previously Twitter) on Thursday, Lichtenstein reiterated that he was the hacker and that he acted alone, denying hypothesis in a Netflix documentary that his father (or, maybe, some spy company, possibly Russia’s) may need been concerned within the theft.
“My dad is not any hacker, he doesn’t even know the right way to use Instagram,” mentioned Lichtenstein, who was sentenced to 5 years in jail for conspiracy to commit cash laundering, together with the time he was incarcerated after the arrest whereas the case was pending.
“I supply my sincerest apologies to Bitfinex for all of the stress that I’ve brought on them,” he mentioned within the video, recorded from jail throughout a distant go to together with his spouse. “I knew what I used to be doing was mistaken and I did it anyway as a result of I did not care … I look again on the individual I used to be then, and I hate myself. I hate myself.”
Within the video, Lichtenstein additionally supplied an replace on restitution for the funds he stole from Bitfinex.
“For the previous three years, I’ve labored exhausting to account for and return all belongings right down to the final satoshi, as required by my plea settlement, and I’ll proceed to take action,” Lichtenstein mentioned, displaying baggage underneath his eyes.
A restitution listening to is set for February to find out whether or not they need to be distributed to Bitfinex or to its clients who have been affected by the hack.
Razzlekhan speaks
Lichtenstein’s spouse, Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan, pled responsible to 1 depend of cash laundering conspiracy and one depend of conspiracy to defraud the US.
Prosecutors mentioned she turned conscious of the hack solely years after the actual fact and was enlisted by her husband to launder the stolen bitcoin.
“In some ways, my spouse … is simply one other sufferer of my unhealthy choices,” Lichtenstein mentioned within the video.
Final month, Morgan was sentenced to 18 months in jail for her supporting position in Lichtenstein’s crimes.
“It’s good to start to have the general public report surrounding our case set straight,” Morgan instructed CoinDesk, referring to the video her husband launched. “You’ll assume that might have occurred after our sentencing memos obtained filed, however that actually hasn’t been the case. There are such a lot of myths that I sit up for debunking after we inform the actual story.”
Finest recognized for her goofy rap movies, Morgan just lately started promoting customized movies for $125 a pop on Cameo, a type of non-pornographic model of Onlyfans. Her jail sentence may start as quickly as subsequent month.
“Regardless of all the pieces you’ve learn, my Razzlekhan persona by no means had something to do with this case, in addition to the federal government mentioning it of their charging paperwork. I created Razzlekhan years earlier than I ever knew my husband had hacked Bitfinex,” Morgan instructed CoinDesk.
“Whereas our prison case was open, I used to be unable to talk publicly or inform my story,” she mentioned. “This additionally meant I couldn’t publish any articles or launch any new artworks or songs the final three years. Now that the case is over, I sit up for freely expressing myself creatively once more. … I’m keen to inform the story of what actually occurred.”
Takes one to catch one
Atoning for his misdeeds in courtroom, Lichtenstein mentioned that after he serves his time he plans to pursue a profession combating cybercrime.
In Tuesday’s video, Lichtenstein reiterated that pledge.
“When I’m launched from jail … I plan to dedicate myself to working within the cybersecurity trade,” Lichtenstein mentioned. “I do know the cyber threats that we face and I understand how to cease them.”
The bitcoin stolen within the 2016 hack was price $70 million on the time and round $12 billion at this time.
The Netflix documentary leaves viewers with the impression {that a} substantial portion of the stolen funds stay lacking, however in accordance with Lichtenstein’s lawyer, this isn’t the case.
“With important assist from Mr. Lichtenstein, the federal government has recovered practically the entire belongings stolen throughout the 2016 Bitfinex hack,” the lawyer, Samson Enzer of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, instructed CoinDesk. “In whole, roughly 114,601 BTC (representing 96% of the roughly 119,754 BTC taken within the hack) have been recovered, in addition to 29 extra belongings with substantial worth.”
The U.S. Division of Justice didn’t reply by press time to CoinDesk’s inquiry in regards to the share of stolen funds that have been recovered.