Cryptocurrencies: US Government Seizes $3.6 Billion in Cryptocurrency Stolen by Hackers

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The United States Department of Justice reported on the recovery of a millionaire sum of money in Bitcoins that were stolen by hackers in year 2016. The amount that was declared recovered is equivalent to $3,600 million dollars in virtual currency.

Two people were arrested in the operation for alleged money laundering conspiracy, of an amount total of $4,500 million dollars in cryptocurrencies, at its current value.

The people arrested and who appeared before a court in New York, respond to the name of Ilya Lichtenstein, aged 34, and his wife, Heather Morgan, of years. They live on Wall Street in lower Manhattan, he is a Russian and American citizen and she described herself on her networks as a rapper, social engineer and expert in game theory.

Lichtenstein and Morgan, were released on bail after it was set at 5 million dollars for Lichtenstein and 3 million for Morgan. Initially, the government wanted to set a bond of $100 millions of dollars.

“Today’s arrests, and the department’s largest ever financial seizure, demonstrate that cryptocurrency is not a safe haven for criminals.”Deputy Attorney General, Lisa O. Monaco

The Deputy Prosecutor explained that stolen funds were laundered through a “transaction labyrinth” in cryptocurrencies . And he assured that maintaining digital anonymity becomes a “futile effort”, since the forces of the order will always have a way to track this type of money, simply by striving for a meticulous investigation.

Money can be tracked through blockchains , so he assured that the possibility of converting cryptocurrencies into a “refuge for criminals.”

For his part, Deputy Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice , emphasizes that the American justice system will maintain a firm stance against anyone who tries to use cryptocurrencies for criminal purposes.

The United States Department of Justice claims to have 21st century investigative techniques to deal with threats from hackers,

and recover data stolen funds making those involved accountable to justice.

The arrested couple is accused of conspiring to launder the amount of 119, 754 bitcoins, after a hacker violated the Bitfinex digital platform and made 2,000 unauthorized transactions. Bitfinex expressed your satisfaction for the recovery of a portion of the stolen funds.

Since the platform was hacked until now, 5 years have passed, and an approximate of ,000 of those bitcoins were transferred out of the Lichtenstein wallet.

The complicated laundering process, as explained by the Department of Justice, ended with the deposit of part of the funds ro bados in financial accounts, which in turn controlled the couple Lichtenstein and Morgan.

The rest of the 94, bitcoins remained in the wallet of the couple, in order to obtain illegal profits from the hack.