In a direct handle to the general public, Ilya Lichtenstein, who pleaded responsible final yr to prices related to the 2016 theft of roughly 120,000 Bitcoin from the crypto change Bitfinex, issued a brand new assertion on Thursday refuting alleged third-party involvement within the hack. His five-minute video, posted to X, represents Lichtenstein’s first publicly obtainable assertion since his arrest in 2022. He immediately challenged claims made in a Netflix documentary suggesting his father—or any exterior celebration, together with attainable international intelligence businesses—participated within the notorious heist.
Lichtenstein Stole 120,000 Bitcoin Alone
Chatting with the digital camera, Lichtenstein stated: “I deliberate and executed the Bitfinex heist solely on my own. And I’m the one who bears full duty for every little thing that has occurred.” He additional disputed different speculations, stating: “Any allegations that my aged and by no means tech-savvy father had any involvement in any hacking exercise ever are utterly false and albeit absurd.”
The 2016 hack of Bitfinex stands as probably the most important safety breaches in crypto historical past. On the time, the theft of 120,000 Bitcoin was valued at roughly $72 million, although the present market worth of these cash is estimated to exceed $12.6 billion. Prosecutors have beforehand famous that Ilya’s spouse, Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan, grew to become concerned solely after the very fact, having pleaded responsible to at least one rely of cash laundering conspiracy and one rely of conspiracy to defraud the USA.
Within the video, Lichtenstein maintained that Morgan’s function didn’t prolong to hacking or orchestrating the theft itself: “Whereas it’s true that my spouse pleaded responsible to laundering a small portion of the funds, she was under no circumstances concerned within the hack itself. She didn’t even learn about it for years.”
In keeping with official statements and the plea settlement, Lichtenstein has been cooperating with authorities to facilitate the return of stolen funds. In the course of the video, he reiterated these efforts: “For the previous three years, I’ve labored onerous to account for and return all belongings all the way down to the final Satoshi as required by my plea settlement. And I’ll proceed to take action all through the forfeiture and restitution course of, which is predicted to return greater than $10 billion by the primary quarter of subsequent yr.”
Lichtenstein overtly acknowledged his wrongdoing: “I hacked Bitfinex. I stole and laundered hundreds of Bitcoin. And I’m so sorry for every little thing.” He expressed regret and a want to make amends, describing himself as having made “one dangerous egocentric resolution after one other” throughout the interval of the hack and its aftermath. Emphasizing his sole duty, he acknowledged: “No person else aside from me is chargeable for the hack.”
He additionally indicated plans for his future following the completion of his jail sentence: “When I’m launched from jail a couple of yr from now, I plan to dedicate myself to working within the cybersecurity trade.” Claiming a novel perspective knowledgeable by his previous illicit actions, Lichtenstein believes he can contribute to cybersecurity defenses going ahead: “No person understands how hackers suppose like somebody who has been a hacker… I do know the cyber threats that we face, and I understand how to cease them.”
All claims, as Lichtenstein famous, may be verified by publicly obtainable courtroom paperwork. He suggested Netflix viewers to learn these paperwork to develop their very own knowledgeable conclusions: “You don’t must take my phrase for it. All the courtroom paperwork laying out the details of the case are publicly obtainable. You may learn them your self and make up your individual thoughts.”
Neither representatives of Bitfinex nor Netflix have publicly commented on Lichtenstein’s video on the time of reporting.
At press time, Bitcoin traded at $102,371.
Featured picture from X, chart from TradingView.com
