Bail for Crypto Couple in $4.5 Billion Hack Is Halted by Judge
- Ilya Lichtenstein, Heather Morgan remain in jail after arrest
- Prosecutors say the couple “present a serious risk of flight”
A Washington judge halted a decision to grant bail to two people charged with trying to launder billions of dollars worth of Bitcoin stolen in a 2016 hack of the Bitfinex currency exchange.
Late Tuesday, the judge granted an emergency request by the U.S. government to continue to hold Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan in jail while the bail decision is reviewed. “The defendants are sophisticated cyber criminals and money launderers who present a serious risk of flight,” prosecutors said in their filing. The government said that while the majority of the stolen funds have been seized, there are several other virtual currency addresses that the government believes the couple control that hold about 7,506 Bitcoin, valued at more than $328 million.