In a direct address to the public, Ilya Lichtenstein, who pleaded guilty last year to charges connected to the 2016 theft of approximately 120,000 Bitcoin from the crypto exchange Bitfinex, issued a new statement on Thursday denying the alleged involvement of a third party in the hack. His five-minute video, posted to X, represents Lichtenstein’s first publicly available statement since his arrest in 2022. He directly denied claims made in the Netflix documentary suggesting that his father—or any outside organization, including possibly foreign intelligence agencies—was involved in the popular game. heist.
Lichtenstein Steals 120,000 Bitcoin Alone
Speaking on camera, Lichtenstein said: “I planned and executed the Bitfinex heist on my own. And I am fully responsible for everything that happened.” He also disputed other speculations, saying: “Any allegation that my elderly and non-technical father was involved in any hacking activity is completely false and baseless.”
The Bitfinex hack of 2016 stands as one of the most significant security breaches in crypto history. At the time, the theft of 120,000 Bitcoin was worth an estimated $72 million, although the current market value of those coins is estimated at $12.6 billion. Prosecutors previously noted that Ilya’s wife, Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan, was only involved after the fact, who pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
In the video, Lichtenstein emphasized that Morgan’s role did not extend to the robbery or planning the theft itself: “While it is true that my wife pleaded guilty to embezzling a small portion of the money, she was not involved in the robbery at all. It had been years since I knew about it.”
According to official statements and a plea agreement, Liechtenstein was cooperating with authorities to facilitate the recovery of the stolen funds. During the video, he reiterated these efforts: “Over the past three years, I have worked hard to answer and return all assets to the last Satoshi as required by my plea agreement. And I will continue to do so during the foreclosure and restitution process, which is expected to bring back more than $10 billion in the first quarter of next year.”
Lichtenstein openly admitted his wrongdoing: “I hacked Bitfinex. I stole and stole thousands of Bitcoin. And I’m sorry for everything.” He expressed remorse and a desire to make amends, describing himself as making “one bad selfish decision after another” during the robbery and its aftermath. Emphasizing only his responsibility, he said: “No one but me is responsible for the robbery.”
He also revealed his plans for the future after the completion of his prison sentence: “When I get out of prison a year from now, I plan to dedicate myself to working in the cyber security industry.” Seeking a unique perspective informed by his past illegal activities, Lichtenstein believes he can contribute to cybersecurity going forward: “No one understands how criminals think like a former criminal… I know the cyber threats we face, and I know how to stop them.”
All claims, as Lichtenstein noted, can be verified through publicly available court documents. He advised Netflix viewers to read the documents to draw their own informed conclusions: “You don’t have to take my word for it. All court documents setting forth the facts of the case are publicly available. You can read it yourself and make up your own mind.”
Neither Bitfinex nor Netflix representatives have publicly commented on Lichtenstein’s video at the time of reporting.
At press time, Bitcoin traded at $102,371.
Featured image from X, chart from TradingView.com
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