New York Resident Ilya Lichtenstein Admits to Being Bitfinex Hacker in Court Appearance: CNBC

New York resident Ilya Lichtenstein revealed himself as the hacker who executed a multi-million-dollar exploit of crypto exchange Bitfinex in 2016 while pleading guilty to money laundering conspiracy charges at a hearing at the U.S. District Court in D.C. on Thursday.

Until now, the hacker’s identity has remained one of the most elusive facts of the case. CNBC first reported that Lichtenstein admitted to being the hacker.

“Bitfinex diligently worked with the U.S. Department of Justice to identify the perpetrators of the hack, recover the stolen bitcoin, and bring the hackers to justice,” an external spokesperson for Bitfinex told CoinDesk. “After seven years, those efforts have come to fruition.”

Lichtenstein, 35, conspired to launder 119,754 Bitcoin, worth roughly $71 million at the time of the hack of the exchange in 2016, alongside his wife Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan, according to U.S. officials. Morgan’s own plea hearing was ongoing as of press time.

This is a developing story and will be updated.