• The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently returned $312,219.71 in cash and 6.917 Bitcoin Cash (BCH) to Bitfinex after a security breach in 2016.
• Bitfinex will distribute the recovered assets on a pro-rated basis to victims of the 2016 hack and any remaining funds will be allocated to token holders of Unus Sed Leo (Leo).
• In February 2022, the US Department of Justice apprehended Ilya Lichtenstein and his wife, Heather Morgan, for conspiring to launder cryptocurrencies connected to the hack.
Bitfinex Hack: DHS Returns Funds
In a significant development related to the 2016 Bitfinex hack, 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. The funds were seized in collaboration with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Recovery Rights Tokens Issued
Following the security breach, Bitfinex issued Recovery Rights Tokens (RRT) with a par value of $1 each. Currently, there are 30 million RRTs in circulation. Bitfinex will use the recovered assets to redeem the RRTs. Any remaining funds will be allocated to token holders of Unus Sed Leo (Leo), Bitfinex’s native token.
Stolen Assets Worth Millions
The 2016 security breach inflicted a substantial loss on Bitfinex, resulting in the theft of 119,576 Bitcoins from customers. At the time, these Bitcoins were worth around $70 million, but today they hold a value of approximately $3.7 billion USD .
Lichtenstein Couple Arrested
In February 2022 ,the U .S .Department Of Justice apprehended Ilya Lichtenstein and his wife ,Heather Morgan on charges Of conspiring To launder cryptocurrencies Connected To The Hack . During The subsequent investigation ,special agents managed To seize over 94000 Of The stolen Bitcoins From The couple .They obtained A search warrant That allowed access To their private key files .
Remaining Stolen Funds Recovered
Efforts To recover The remaining stolen funds are still underway ,as authorities continue Their pursuit Of justice In The bitFineX case . Recovery efforts To retrieve The remaining stolen assets Are still In progress