The Department of Justice in the United States announced arrests and seizures of $3.6 billion worth of Bitcoin.
The arrest and seizure were from the hackers who stole 119,756 BTC from the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex, six years ago.
Ilya Lichtenstein and his wife Heather Morgan was arrested for allegedly conspiring to launder crypto connected to the 2016 Bitfinex hack.
The 119,756 BTC, worth $72 million at the time hack in August 2016, is now worth approximately $5.2 billion.
DOJ stated that it was able to gain access and seize about 94,000 BTC worth approximately $4.1 billion.
The DOJ release alleges the two conspired to launder these proceeds and heavily implies but does not claim, they were the original hackers.
The DoJ’s actions represent the biggest seizure of crypto by government authorities, with the 2016 Bitfinex hack one of the biggest thefts in the history of the crypto space. Authorities have charged Lichtenstein and Morgan with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Each could face up to 25 years in prison.
– Nairametrics