In a direct deal with to the general public, Ilya Lichtenstein, who pleaded responsible final yr to expenses 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 social gathering, together with doable overseas intelligence businesses—participated within the notorious heist.
Lichtenstein Stole 120,000 Bitcoin Alone
Talking to the digital camera, Lichtenstein stated: “I deliberate and executed the Bitfinex heist totally on my own. And I’m the one who bears full accountability for every 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 one of the crucial vital 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 depend of cash laundering conspiracy and one depend of conspiracy to defraud the US.
Within the video, Lichtenstein maintained that Morgan’s position didn’t lengthen 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 find out about it for years.”
In line with official statements and the plea settlement, Lichtenstein has been cooperating with authorities to facilitate the return of stolen funds. Throughout the video, he reiterated these efforts: “For the previous three years, I’ve labored laborious to account for and return all belongings right 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 anticipated to return greater than $10 billion by the primary quarter of subsequent yr.”
Lichtenstein brazenly acknowledged his wrongdoing: “I hacked Bitfinex. I stole and laundered hundreds of Bitcoin. And I’m so sorry for every 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 accountability, he said: “No person else apart from me is liable 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 business.” Claiming a singular perspective knowledgeable by his previous illicit actions, Lichtenstein believes he can contribute to cybersecurity defenses going ahead: “No person understands how hackers assume 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, could 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 need to take my phrase for it. All the courtroom paperwork laying out the information of the case are publicly obtainable. You possibly can 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