The U.S. Department of Justice has filed court documents stating that nearly $12 billion worth of Bitcoin stolen in a 2016 hack from the crypto exchange Bitfinex should be returned to the platform. Approximately 120,000 Bitcoin were taken, and the DOJ stated that there are no specific 'victims' of the crime, as Bitfinex had previously compensated its customers. The court revealed that 94,643 Bitcoin, valued at about $9.3 billion, will be returned due to the complexities involved in laundering the remaining assets. The hack occurred due to vulnerabilities in Bitfinex’s multi-signature security protocols. Ilya Lichtenstein, who was sentenced to five years for money laundering, alongside his wife Heather Morgan, who faced charges for facilitating the laundering, utilized advanced methods and crypto mixing services to obscure their tracks. Despite receiving merchandise tokens in reimbursement, some customers contest that they have not been fully compensated given the soaring value of Bitcoin since the incident.

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