Where are Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan now? Subjects of Netflix's Biggest Heist Ever
The documentary explores one of the biggest ever cryptocurrency thefts.
Biggest Heist Ever is a new documentary arriving on Netflix, which explores one of the biggest Bitcoin thefts.
The story of Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan, a married couple accused of laundering Bitcoin from a cryptocurrency exchange and later dubbed the 'Bitcoin Bonnie and Clyde', is dissected in the film.
As per Netflix, "the story only gets weirder," and is directed by Chris Smith, who viewers may be familiar with from his previous Netflix documentary, Fyre.
But who are Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan and what are their whereabouts today? Read on for the latest information.
Who are Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan?
Ilya Lichtenstein is an entrepreneur and cryptocurrency investor who was born in Russia before moving to the US.
Heather Morgan, Lichtenstein's wife, is a business owner and columnist. She also went under the alias of Razzlekhan as part of her rap career.
In 2016, Ilya Lichtenstein hacked into a virtual currency exchange, Bitfinex, and stole approximately 120,000 bitcoin, which was around $70 million at the time of the theft.
He laundered the cryptocurrency with the help of Morgan.
Following the theft, the couple "employed numerous sophisticated laundering techniques, including using fictitious identities to set up online accounts," according to the US Department Justice.
The statement continues: "[Utilising] computer programs to automate transactions; depositing the stolen funds into accounts at a variety of darknet markets and cryptocurrency exchanges and then withdrawing the funds; converting bitcoin to other forms of cryptocurrency in a practice known as 'chain hopping'.
"Depositing a portion of the criminal proceeds into cryptocurrency mixing services; using US-based business accounts to legitimise Lichtenstein's and Morgan's banking activity; and exchanging a portion of the stolen funds into gold coins."
Where are Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan now?
As of 15th November 2024, Ilya Lichtenstein was sentenced to five years in a US prison for laundering stolen cryptocurrency.
He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and carrying out the hack.
Lichtenstein has been in prison since his arrest in February 2022 and has taken "full responsibility" for his crimes, having told Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly he wants to "make amends in any way I can".
Meanwhile, Morgan pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Biggest Heist Ever is available to stream on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Documentaries coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Entertainment and Factual Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
