On the morning of August 2, 2016 all around the globe, thousands of unsuspecting crypto investors woke up to find their digital wallets mysteriously wiped out. News broke of a shocking digital heist: nearly 120,000 bitcoins stolen from Bitfinex and the start of a manhunt for the hackers. It has all the ingredients of a wide screen thriller…only this one is true, and is unfolding to be “super, super weird,” according to one of the investors targeted in the hack.
CNBC takes you inside one of the largest crypto currency heists in history and delivers a revealing look at the investigation to recover $3.6 billion dollars in bitcoin. According to court records, the five-year long investigation ultimately led the feds to the Wall Street apartment of a young married couple where the IRS says they uncovered burner phones, multiple passports, hollowed out books and the private keys investigators used to access billions in stolen crypto connected to the hack. Heather Morgan and Ilya Lichtenstein were later arrested in the alleged multi-billion dollar crypto laundering scheme.
When news of the arrests broke and the world discovered hundreds of videos the couple shared on social media, the story went viral. Music videos of Morgan rapping on YouTube as the so-called “Crocodile of Wall Street” and videos of her husband saying he’s tried their exotic Bengal cat’s pet food had everyone asking how this couple could be accused of such an elaborate scheme.
CNBC’s in-depth report delivers a revealing look at the duo from the rise of Razzlekahn, Morgan’s rapping alter ego to the day she bizarrely stripped down to her bra in front of dozens of startup founders, to Lichtenstein’s startup companies and the couple’s stranger-than-fiction wedding day. Eamon Javers’ reporting exposes fascinating details about their unusual lives from people who knew and worked with them and reveals exactly how the feds accuse the couple of conspiring to launder billions in bitcoin.
CNBC uncovers how a five-year investigation led to the largest financial seizure in DOJ history and what happens next as hack victims, the government and Bitfinex battle over who really owns the billions in recovered bitcoin.
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction to the bitcoin heist
04:43 – Tracking the stolen crypto
11:16 – Getting to know the accused couple
22:29 – The day my crypto vanished
26:54 – Tracking the stolen bitcoin
35:30 – A master class in manipulation
37:49 – Investigators begin closing in
40:28 – Battling over billions in bitcoin
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Crocodile Of Wall Street And The Battle Over Billions In Stolen Bitcoin
29 Comments
Elizabeth Holmes, you've got competition
she's a very bad entertainer btw. so mediocre.
I love this man! So smart and so confident! I’m so proud of you for helping so many people. Keep up the great work #abramcrack
I love this man! So smart and so confident! I’m so proud of you for helping so many people. Keep up the great work #abramcrack
bought a burner phone didnt buy a burner home . smart heist stupid move
Idiots! If you want to commit a crime, use US dollars. The blockchain never lies and is traceable!
You still want to invest in bitcoin after all that and go through it again the risk of losing it all not me
These kids have the most annoying voices of all time.
And they still want to make a cashless society. "oops".
35:35 CNBC doesn't want average Joe's knowing what cold storage is clearly so that when the next "bitfinix" happens they can get views on another hit piece and again hide critical details of how to avoid this from happening to consumers, COLD Storage = not your keys 🖥️🗝️🔐 not your crypto 🖥️ 🪙🪙
She gave that security guard a hummer she's full of it
Why didn’t they fake their death like the guy from quadrigacx
Interesting to listen to these bureaucrats saying, "the blockchain doesn't lie" and "the blockchain is transparent," When just less than a decade ago they were saying Bitcoin and the Blockchain is for criminals only… hummmm how interesting.
MY FINANCIAL GOAL IS TO BE MAKING AT LEAST UP TO $1,000,000 EVERY YEAR BY INVESTING HEAVILY BOTH IN CRYPTO AND STOCK. I NEED GUIDIANCE. please comment below…
Anyone else not able to finish this whole video bc they keep showing her (ridiculously obnoxious) videos? 👋🏻
Caveat emptor
The government creates these anonymous dark web sites to monitor illegal activity 😆 just like the undercover NARC officers involved with the drug trade. I love it cuz if your doing big time stupid sht they are always watching
Once you start to run you can't stop, and the government won't stop
Customers will never see their Bitcoins, Bitfinex already compensated them so that door is shut if Bitfinex recovers any coins
God entered into my body, as a body. My same size. Holy Ghost baptism. God attacks me day and night. God rips my face, shoots in my mouth gum disease. Fondles me and appears and laughs. I call god, mr fondles!!
If you have been closely watching the crypto <or even invested in it, chances are that you are wondering whether the latest bear cycle is over. The truth is that the market remains unpredictable especially in the long-term. Despite the heavy outflows, Bitcoin still managed to promptly recover, this recovery demonstrated Bitcoin’s strength despite being stress tested against highly volatile and unfavorable market conditions. Could this outcome be a sign that the market is ready for a bigger recovery? The obvious answers is yes despite how long it might take, it is very important to stay ahead of the market by trading with the right strategy. I have been trading with John Fraiser's strategy for 5 weeks now and I have been able to accumulate 27 btc with his signals.
40:35 Bitfinex has the nerve to think they should get that money. It belongs to the people whose Bitcoins has been stolen from. This is crazy
Am I the only one who nearly died of vicarious embarrassment whenever Razzle Khan's rap comes on? Is she not in on the joke?
what a story
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Wow
These guys got my 10 btc!
Had to become Buddhist so I wouldn't turn to "murd3r" lol.
Charts appear to say >21.5k< bottom i could see that, but not with the macro situation though. I dont even think talkin bout the bottom is worth it atm. Macro is the worst in decades energy, inflation, rate hikes, supply shortages etc etc its the perfect storm. From 2008ish till around 2021 when the economy was boomin & the fed was printing money btc still crash about 85%. So i find it hard to accept a 75% crash for a bear market that lines up with a global recession, dont make sense to me. Institutions & whales need retail to sell so theres enough supply to meet their demand & they aint buyin yet!! The thing is retail aint got any money to ape in to btc atm & over the next 12 months or so i see less money in the system as the fed tightens & everything goes up in price. So where will the money come from in that kind of a setting?? I really dont think weve seen the bottom yet or the kind of pain coming next year after mid terms. I guess we will see, I will keep buy and just trade long term more than ever, I have made over 14.07` btc with 2.05 btc from trading with Mr.Adam Grey in few weeks this is one of the best medium to backup your assets incase it goes rough <You can reach Adam on ͲeIєɠɾαm Adamgtrade ….
her rapping made me feel sick…