洗钱盗窃比特币收益的黑客被判处 5 年监禁

Ilya Lichtenstein 于 2016 年入侵了加密货币交易所 Bitfinex 的网络，并以欺诈方式授权了 2,000 多笔交易

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.

美国司法部称，一名帮助洗钱从加密货币交易所盗窃比特币所得收益的黑客因参与共谋而被判处五年监禁。

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.

据美国司法部发布的消息称，35 岁的 Lichtenstein 于 2016 年使用先进的黑客工具侵入了加密货币交易所 Bitfinex 的网络，以欺诈方式授权了 2,000 多笔交易，将 119,754 比特币从交易所转移到他控制的加密钱包中。然后，他从交易所的访问日志中删除了可能向执法部门泄露他的行为的文件。

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."

他的洗黑钱计划得到了他的妻子希瑟·摩根的帮助，希瑟·摩根是一位艺名“Razzlekhan”的说唱歌手，案件曝光后，她在社交媒体平台上疯传。在她的一首歌曲中，摩根用说唱的方式讲述了她如何成为“华尔街的鳄鱼”。

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.

检察官表示，这两人采用了“多种复杂的洗钱技术”来洗钱比特币，使用虚构身份设立在线账户。他们还使用自动交易，将被盗资金存入暗网和加密货币交易所，然后提取资金。

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.

他们将比特币转换为其他加密货币——这种做法被称为“链跳”——并将犯罪所得存入加密货币混合服务中。两人还利用美国账户使银行活动合法化，并将部分被盗资金换成金币。

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.

检察官在一份文件中表示，三年后，利希滕斯坦向摩根讲述了这次黑客攻击事件，尽管他之前在该计划中获得了她的帮助，“但没有确切解释他在做什么”。他们补充说，两人成功洗掉了约 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.

被盗比特币在被盗时的价值约为 7000 万美元，但在被捕时已升至 45 亿美元以上，按当前价格计算，其价值是这一数字的两倍多。

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.

利希滕斯坦和摩根均于 2023 年 8 月承认共谋洗钱罪。除了五年监禁外，利希滕斯坦还被法院下令服刑三年。

Morgan is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 18.

摩根定于 11 月 18 日被判刑。