The true-life story of an American couple accused of laundering billions of {dollars} value of Bitcoin stolen from the 2016 hacking of Bitfinex is ready to hit the massive display screen, with Amazon and MGM Studios collaborating on the manufacturing.
The movie, titled “Razzlekhan,” attracts inspiration from a 2022 article in The New York Occasions and will likely be directed by Hannah Marks, recognized for her work on “Don’t Make Me Go” within the anticipated Amazon manufacturing.
Amazon To Adapt True Story Of Bitcoin Heist
In line with a Deadline report, the Amazon-backed manufacturing movie will revolve across the true story of Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan, a millennial couple who masterminded the theft of over $3 billion in cryptocurrency.
Finally apprehended by the Division of Justice (DOJ), the couple’s legal actions kind the idea of the movie’s narrative. The title “Razzlekhan” derives from the rapper stage identify utilized by Morgan, who, together with Lichtenstein, confronted conspiracy costs to launder the stolen Bitcoin in February 2022, as disclosed by the FBI.
In August 2023, Bitcoinist reported that each Lichtenstein and Morgan, with the latter referred to as the “Crocodile of Wall Road,” pleaded responsible to the cash laundering conspiracy costs introduced towards them by the DOJ.
The couple admitted to laundering the proceeds from the hack, which concerned roughly 120,000 BTC stolen from the Bitfinex cryptocurrency change.
Following their arrest in February 2022, authorities seized over 95,000 of the stolen Bitcoins, valued at almost $3.6 billion. This marked the biggest seizure within the company’s historical past.
Subsequently, the DOJ recognized and recovered a further $475 million value of cryptocurrency stolen within the hack, attracting the eye of MGM and Amazon to work collectively to carry the story to the massive display screen.
Bitfinex Hacker Faces Most Penalty
Court docket paperwork revealed that Lichtenstein orchestrated the hack in 2016, using “subtle” hacking instruments and methods to realize unauthorized entry to Bitfinex’s community.
Lichtenstein executed over 2,000 transactions by means of fraudulent authorization, transferring 119,754 BTC to his crypto pockets. To cowl his tracks, Lichtenstein tampered with Bitfinex’s system, deleting entry credentials, log recordsdata, and different digital proof that might hyperlink him to the crime.
On the time of the Bitfinex hack, Bitcoin traded under $1,000. Nonetheless, its worth had surged to round $44,000 by the point the couple was arrested in 2022, which elevated the price of the stolen tokens to roughly $4.5 billion.
Ilya Lichtenstein faces a most penalty of 20 years in jail for conspiracy to commit cash laundering, whereas Heather Morgan, after pleading responsible to at least one depend of cash laundering conspiracy and one other depend of conspiracy to defraud the USA, might withstand 5 years of imprisonment.
The discharge date of the extremely anticipated movie, produced by trade giants Amazon and MGM, is but to be introduced.
Bitcoin’s worth has elevated by 2.6% over the previous 24 hours, permitting the dominant cryptocurrency to reclaim the $43,100 threshold.
Featured picture from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com
