$3.6bn Worth Of Stolen Bitcoin Found In Possession Of Forbes Writer

The Department of Justice has finally found almost all of the billions worth of Bitcoin stolen during the 2016 hack of cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex — in the hands of a published Forbes and Inc. writer and rapper, who calls herself the “Crocodile of Wall Street,” and her startup founder husband.

The DOJ says it seized about $3.6 billion worth of the cryptocurrency, allegedly held by Heather Morgan and her husband, Ilya Lichtenstein. The couple is accused of trying to cover their tracks by laundering the stolen funds through “a labyrinth of cryptocurrency transactions.” It’s the department’s “largest financial seizure ever,” according to a Tuesday press release.

The DOJ doesn’t explicitly say they stole the billions in cryptocurrency — an unnamed hacker was the one who transferred 119,754 Bitcoin from the exchange to an outside wallet, and that wallet was allegedly controlled by Lichtenstein. But considering the total amount stolen during the breach was 119,756 Bitcoin, that suggests Lichenstein and his partner had access to nearly the entire sum stolen from Bitfinex.

And according to the statement of facts prepared by an IRS special agent (PDF), the value of those Bitcoin has ballooned significantly since the hack — in 2016, they were worth $71 million, and now, their value is measured in billions.

Morgan has instantly become a character following news of the hack today, as people have been combing through her social media and LinkedIn and discovering her… unique persona. The DOJ’s criminal complaint lists an alias of hers as “Razzlekhan,” and people were quick to discover the rap songs she released under that name. The music video for one of the songs is titled “Rap Anthem for Misfits & Weirdos: Versace Bedouin Music Video,” and Razzlekhan shouts out “entrepreneurs and hackers” in the lyrics.

Morgan’s also done a considerable amount of writing at Inc. and Forbes, and her author profile says that “when she’s not reverse-engineering black markets to think of better ways to combat fraud and cybercrime, she enjoys rapping and designing streetwear fashion.” One of her articles even offers advice on how to keep your business safe from cybercriminals.

While Morgan’s online antics have gotten a lot of the focus, the bulk of the DOJ’s accusations fall on Lichtenstein (though Morgan is still heavily implicated and allegedly gave false information to at least one of the crypto exchanges she held Bitcoin in). Lichtenstein’s LinkedIn lists him as the founder of a blockchain startup named Endpass and co-founder of MixRank.