Lichtenstein and his spouse Heather Morgan had been arrested in 2022, and in August final yr each pled responsible to conspiring to commit cash laundering. The stolen cryptocurrency, price round $71 million on the time of the theft, had soared in worth to roughly $4.5 billion by the point Lichtenstein and Morgan had been arrested. Valued at right now’s costs, the stolen funds could be price an much more staggering sum of over $10 billion.

Based on the US Division of Justice, Lichtenstein and Morgan “employed quite a few refined laundering strategies” to cover the stolen funds, together with utilizing fictitious identities, changing the Bitcoin into different cryptocurrencies, shopping for gold, and depositing and withdrawing the proceeds at numerous darknet markets and cryptocurrency exchanges. 

Lichtenstein’s five-year sentence is notably decrease than the utmost 20-year penalty for conspiracy to commit cash laundering. Morgan, additionally recognized by her on-line rap persona “Razzlekhan,” is because of be sentenced on November 18th, and is anticipated to face 18 months in jail for her half within the heist.