Few mysteries have riddled the cryptosphere as did the theft of 112,000 bitcoins from the offshore crypto exchange, Bitfinex, back in 2016. However, Ilya Lichtenstein, a spouse to the notorious rapper Razzlekhan, recently confessed to orchestrating the theft – an admission that has raised more than just a few eyebrows.
The confession perplexed many, not least of which was Brett Johnson, a seasoned cybercrime expert often hailed as one of America’s most notorious hackers. He firmly declared that Lichtenstein’s strategies to launder the stolen funds were riddled with blunders. Johnson was the founder and leader of the infamous cybercrime syndicate, the Shadow Crew, in the early 2000s. Following his arrest and subsequent informant work for the Secret Service, he’s gravitated toward a white hat cybersecurity expert.
Despite our newfound knowledge of Lichtenstein’s guilt, the particulars surrounding the confession are somewhat opaque. For instance, no formal charges have been brought against him or his spouse regarding the Bitfinex hack. As it stands, the pair has only been accused of attempting to launder the stolen funds. However, it’s unclear whether admitting to the hack was tied to Lichtenstein’s plea deal on the charges of money laundering – an unusual circumstance for sure.
The contention climbs when we inspect the series of events following the initial theft. Reports suggest that the pair wasn’t directly linked to the Bitfinex hack, but it’s widely believed that they may have either bought keys to the stolen bitcoins at a discounted price or held and laundered it on behalf of a third-party. Johnson, however, remains sceptical given Lichtenstein’s evident blunders during the laundering phase of the heist.
Beyond raising eyebrows, Lichtenstein’s techniques rang a few alarm bells for the cybercrime expert. For instance, the ill-advised process of chain hopping, coupled with the inexplicable choice to route stolen funds through a darknet market due to be compromised, counterintuitively led law enforcement closer to them. The pair’s series of questionable actions, such as not even bothering with identity theft, raises doubts about their experience with cybercrime.
To compound the waves of doubt, the duo’s post-2016 behaviour was markedly unconventional for notorious hackers. Instead of vanishing off the grid to a non-extradition country, they took up residence on Wall Street. While Lichtenstein kept a low profile, Heather Morgan’s conduct was puzzling. Besides labelled as the head of an email marketing company, she contributed to reputable publications, publicly gave presentations on hacking, and bizarrely pursued a rap career under the alias “Razzlekhan.”
While this could indicate a naïveté beyond comprehension after pulling off a high-profile heist, to Johnson, there’s undoubtedly more to this tale—enticing us to delve further into the story to capture the true essence of this cryptosphere mystery.
Source: Coindesk
