U.S. Prosecutors Seek Approval to Return 94,643 Stolen Bitcoins to Bitfinex
U.S. prosecutors seek court approval to return nearly 80% of the 119,754 bitcoins stolen in the 2016 Bitfinex hack.
- 94,643 bitcoins recovered from hacker Ilya Lichtenstein's wallet can be returned as restitution to Bitfinex.
- Additional cryptocurrencies generated from hard forks, including Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin Satoshi Vision, and Bitcoin Gold, will also be sent to Bitfinex.
- Lichtenstein was sentenced to 5 years for money laundering; his wife, Heather Morgan, received an 18-month sentence.
- Both agreed to forfeit the stolen cryptocurrency under their plea deals.
- Returning the remaining 25,000 bitcoins involves more complexity due to attempts to launder them through various means, requiring a separate forfeiture proceeding.