• The US Department of Homeland Security has returned $312,219.71 in cash and 6.917 Bitcoin Cash (BCH) to cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex.
• This is part of an ongoing effort by Bitfinex to recover assets stolen from the 2016 hack.
• Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan were arrested in February 2022 on charges of conspiring to launder cryptocurrencies connected to the hack, leading to the seizure of over 94,000 Bitcoins from them.
Department of Homeland Security Returns Funds To Bitfinex
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has returned $312,219.71 in cash and 6.917 Bitcoin Cash (BCH) to cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex. This is part of an ongoing effort by Bitfinex to recover assets stolen from a 2016 security breach which resulted in 119,576 Bitcoins being taken from customers with a value at the time of around $70 million but currently worth approximately $3.7 billion.
Bitfinex’s Recovery Rights Tokens
In order to help victims recover their losses following the hack, Bitfinex issued Recovery Rights Tokens (RRTs), each with a par value of $1. Currently there are 30 million RRTs in circulation and Bitfinex plans on using the recovered funds to redeem these tokens for their users as well as allocating any remaining funds towards Unus Sed Leo (Leo), its native token holders.
Criminal Pursuit Of Theft
In February 2022, Ilya Lichtenstein and his wife Heather Morgan were apprehended by U.S law enforcement on charges of conspiring to launder cryptocurrencies connected to the hack resulting in 94,000 Bitcoins being seized by special agents who obtained a search warrant for access into private key files belonging to the couple..
Ongoing Recovery Of Stolen Assets
Recovery efforts are still underway as authorities continue their criminal pursuit into bringing justice against those responsible for this theft while also trying retrieve any remaining stolen assets that may be out there that have yet been identified or seized by law enforcement agencies..
Conclusion
This event serves as a reminder that although it may take some time, justice will always prevail when dealing with cybercrimes such as this one against cryptocurrency exchanges like Bitfinex so it is important for those who have been wronged due these activities that they remain diligent and keep working with law enforcement agencies involved in order make sure that all those responsible are held accountable for their actions and any stolen assets can be recovered if possible