NY bitcoin money laundering couple 'from the pages of a spy novel'

A New York couple dubbed ‘ Bonnie and Crypto Clyde’ arrested on charges of laundering $4.5 billion in stolen Bitcoin led an existence ‘pulled from the pages of a spy novel,’ prosecutors have said.

Ilya ” Lichtenstein, 34, and his wife Heather Morgan, 31, are being held in custody following their Tuesday arrest, and will appear before a court in Washington on Monday.

Federal law enforcement officials said they have recovered roughly $3.6 billon in cryptocurrency – the Justice Department’s largest ever financial seizure – linked to the hack of Bitfinex, a virtual currency exchange based in , whose systems were breached nearly six years ago.

Morgan had a remarkable online presence as an influencer and Darkmarket link self-described ‘cringe’ rapper named Razzlekhan, who makes music ‘for the entrepreneurs and hackers, all the misfits and smart slackers’.

Prosecutors detailed on Thursday in court documents a remarkable lifestyle, complete with hollowed-out books, fake passports and burner phones.

Photos showed the books, and ziplock bags stuffed with cash.

As federal investigators raided their Wall Street home last month, Morgan asked to be allowed to retrieve her cat from under the bed.

But as she was crouching down and pretending to get the pet, agents saw that she was frantically trying to lock her phone, prompting them to wrestle her to the ground, prosecutors say.

The January 5 raid saw the officers find $40,000 in cash, dozens of electronic devices, and two hollowed-out books.

darknet market vendors selling fake passports.

The delivery darknet markets onion address was given as the 11 Mirrors Design Hotel in Kiev, which is the same hotel that Morgan posted photos of on her social media platforms, and from where Uber receipts showed she traveled.

Another document contained within Lichtenstein’s cloud storage account, prosecutors say, includes a Russian-language document that describes ‘how to anonymously receive a parcel in Ukraine.’

The document provides details of video camera positioning in Ukrainian post offices and how to avoid being seen.

In court on Friday, the couple’s lawyer, Samson Enzer, urged a judge to allow them to be freed on $3 million and $4.5 million bail respectively, saying the fact neither of them fled when given the chance upon first being alerted to the investigation, proves they would not run from the law if now freed on bail.

Prosecutors are urging caution: It is believed the couple still have vast sums of money at their disposal which is likely hidden from authorities.

Furthermore, Lichtenstein has dual citizenship with Russia giving the couple a possible safe haven from which it would be particularly difficult for U.S. authorities to secure an extradition order should the couple choose to flee. 

If convicted, they face up to a maximum of 25 years in prison.