'Crypto Couple' to Plead Guilty in Billion-Dollar Bitfinex Hack Money Laundering Case

The New York couple charged with attempting to launder $4.5 billion in bitcoin stolen in a 2016 hack of Bitfinex are expected to plead guilty in the case. Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Rhiannon Morgan have been newly charged with an information, a type of charging document used when defendants agree to plead guilty. The couple has been ordered to appear in court on August 3 for separate arraignments and plea hearings. The specific charges in the information have not been disclosed. The couple was originally charged with money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Prosecutors and defense lawyers have been instructed to provide plea paperwork to the judge by Thursday. The couple is accused of attempting to launder the proceeds of 119,754 bitcoin stolen from Bitfinex's platform in 2016.