Ilya Lichtenstein, the cybercriminal behind the notorious 2016 Bitfinex hack, has been sentenced to five years in prison following his role in one of the biggest Bitcoin heists ever. The ruling, handed down on Nov. 14 by Washington, D.C. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, also includes three years of supervised release for Lichtenstein. Originally facing up to 20 years, his sentence was significantly reduced due to a lack of prior criminal history and substantial cooperation in ongoing investigations.

Prosecutors recommended the five-year sentence, citing Lichtenstein's assistance and the fact that he only laundered a fraction—25,111 out of the 119,754 stolen Bitcoin. Today, the remaining stolen Bitcoin is worth over $10.4 billion, with the cryptocurrency priced at approximately $87,500. Despite his cooperation, Lichtenstein’s involvement in laundering such a vast sum has highlighted the challenges of crypto crime enforcement.

Lichtenstein’s wife, Heather Morgan, known by her rap alias “Razzlekhan,” will face sentencing on Nov. 18. Morgan, who admitted to helping Lichtenstein launder the Bitcoin after he disclosed his role in the hack three years post-theft, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges. Prosecutors are pushing for a lenient 18-month sentence for Morgan, arguing she played a smaller role than her husband and spent only a small fraction of the stolen funds.

The Bitfinex hack marked a watershed moment for cryptocurrency crime, with the Department of Justice later seizing the stolen Bitcoin in one of the largest asset recoveries in its history. Initially suspected only of laundering stolen assets, Lichtenstein’s eventual confession revealed him as the hacker, further unraveling the high-profile case.