洗錢竊取比特幣收益的駭客被判處 5 年監禁

Ilya Lichtenstein 於 2016 年入侵了加密貨幣交易所 Bitfinex 的網絡，並以欺詐方式授權了 2,000 多筆交易

A hacker who helped launder the proceeds of a bitcoin theft from a cryptocurrency exchange was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the conspiracy, the Justice Department said.

美國司法部稱，一名幫助洗錢從加密貨幣交易所盜竊比特幣所得收益的駭客因參與共謀而被判處五年監禁。

Lichtenstein, 35, hacked into the network of crypto exchange Bitfinex in 2016 using advanced hacking tools to fraudulently authorize over 2,000 transactions that transferred 119,754 bitcoin from the exchange to a crypto wallet he controlled, according to a DOJ release. He then deleted files from the exchange's access logs that could’ve revealed his actions to law enforcement.

據美國司法部發布的消息稱，35 歲的Lichtenstein 於2016 年使用先進的駭客工具侵入了加密貨幣交易所Bitfinex 的網絡，以欺詐方式授權了2,000 多筆交易，將119,754 比特幣從交易所轉移到他控制的加密錢包中。然後，他從交易所的訪問日誌中刪除了可能向執法部門洩露他的行為的文件。

His scheme to launder the ill-gotten gains was aided by his wife, Heather Morgan, a rapper who goes by the stage name "Razzlekhan" and went viral on social media platforms after the case was revealed. In one of her songs, Morgan raps about how she is the "crocodile of Wall Street."

他的洗黑錢計劃得到了他的妻子希瑟·摩根的幫助，希瑟·摩根是一位藝名“Razzlekhan”的說唱歌手，案件曝光後，她在社交媒體平台上瘋傳。在她的一首歌曲中，摩根用說唱的方式講述了她如何成為“華爾​​街的鱷魚”。

The pair deployed “numerous sophisticated laundering techniques” to launder the bitcoin, using fictitious identities to set up online accounts, prosecutors said. They also used automated transactions and deposited the stolen funds into darknets and crypto exchanges, then withdrew the funds.

檢察官表示，這兩人採用了「多種複雜的洗錢技術」來洗錢比特幣，並使用虛構身份設立線上帳戶。他們還使用自動交易，將被盜資金存入暗網和加密貨幣交易所，然後提取資金。

They converted bitcoin to other cryptocurrencies – a practice known as "chain hopping" – and deposited the criminal proceeds into crypto mixing services. The duo also utilized U.S.-based accounts to legitimize banking activity and swapped some of the stolen funds for gold coins.

他們將比特幣轉換為其他加密貨幣——這種做法被稱為「鏈跳」——並將犯罪所得存入加密貨幣混合服務中。兩人也利用美國帳戶使銀行活動合法化，並將部分被竊資金換成金幣。

Prosecutors said in a filing that Lichtenstein told Morgan about the hack three years later, though he previously obtained her assistance in the scheme "without explaining exactly what he was doing." They added that the duo successfully laundered about 21% of the proceeds.

檢察官在一份文件中表示，三年後，利希滕斯坦向摩根講述了這次黑客攻擊事件，儘管他之前在該計劃中獲得了她的幫助，“但沒有確切解釋他在做什麼” 。他們補充說，兩人成功洗掉了約 21% 的收益。

The stolen bitcoin was valued at roughly $70 million at the time it was stolen, though that rose to over $4.5 billion at the time of their arrest and is worth more than twice that amount at current prices.

被盜比特幣在被盜時的價值約為 7000 萬美元，但在被捕時已升至 45 億美元以上，按當前價格計算，其價值是這一數字的兩倍多。

Both Lichtenstein and Morgan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in August 2023. In addition to his five-year prison term, Lichtenstein was ordered by the court to serve three years of supervised release.

利希滕斯坦和摩根都在 2023 年 8 月承認共謀洗錢罪。

Morgan is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 18.

摩根定於 11 月 18 日被判刑。