Cryptocurrencies
DOJ Seizes $3.6 Billion in Bitcoin Stolen in Bitfinex Hack
- Case represents largest financial seizure ever, Monaco says
- Two people charged with seeking to launder 119,754 Bitcoin
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The U.S. seized about $3.6 billion in Bitcoin stolen during a 2016 hack of the Bitfinex currency exchange -- the largest financial seizure ever -- and arrested two people, the Justice Department said.
Ilya Lichtenstein and his wife, Heather Morgan, were detained in the morning and by late afternoon appeared at federal court in Manhattan. The two -- who appear to have had colorful social media accounts ahead of their arrests -- allegedly conspired to launder 119,754 Bitcoin stolen after a hacker breached Bitfinex’s systems.