Bitfinex Hack Suspect Given Go Ahead to Find New Job Before Trial – Report

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Summary:

  • Heather Morgan, accused of attempting to launder $3.6 billion worth of Bitcoin from the 2016 Bitfinex hack alongside her husband, has asked a judge to modify the conditions of her pre-trial release.
  • Mr. Morgan requested to engage in legitimate employment and possibly receive income greater than $10k per month.
  • The prosecutors of the case did not reject the request.

Heather Morgan, who was charged alongside her husband Illya Lichtenstein for attempting to launder $3.6 billion worth of Bitcoin from the 2016 Bitfinex, has requested a modification of her pre-trial release terms.

According to a report by Bloomberg, Ms. Morgan, through her lawyers, has requested a judge in Washington to modify the conditions of her pre-trial release terms to allow her to seek ‘legitimate employment and receive income greater than $10,000 per month.’ The report by Bloomberg further pointed out that prosecutors did not object to the request.

Ms. Morgan had Earlier Negotiated a Plea Deal.

In March this year, Heather Morgan allegedly negotiated a plea deal with authorities to avoid jail time.

Both Could Face Up to 25 Years in Prison.

Ms. Morgan and her husband were arrested in New York in early February by officials from the Department of Justice for attempting to launder over $3.6 billion in Bitcoin linked to the 2016 hack on the Bitfinex exchange.

According to court documents, they allegedly conspired to launder the proceeds of roughly 119,754 Bitcoin stolen in 2016 from Bitfinex and initiated over 2,000 unauthorized transactions to a wallet belonging to Lichtenstein.

Furthermore, in the last five years, roughly 25k Bitcoin was transferred from Lichtenstein’s wallet through a complex money laundering scheme that resulted in the stolen funds being deposited into financial accounts owned by Morgan and Lichtenstein. 94k Bitcoin remained in the wallet used to receive and store the stolen BTC.

If convicted, they each face a total of 25 years, as highlighted by the United States Department of Justice through the following statement.

Lichtenstein and Morgan are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and conspiracy to defraud the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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