Social media star and aspiring rapper Heather Morgan (who goes by the stage name Razzlekhan) and her husband, technology entrepreneur Ilya Lichtenstein, have both been arrested for allegedly planning to launder $4.5 billion in cryptocurrency.
The United States Department of Justice released a statement on Tuesday, January 8th, confirming the arrests. They revealed that Morgan, 31, and Lichtenstein, 34, stole the bitcoin during the 2016 hacking of Bitfinex, a virtual currency exchange.
So far, the authorities have managed to seize $3.6 billion of the stolen cryptocurrency funds. The Department of Justice noted that this was the department’s “largest financial seizure ever.”
While Morgan and Lichtenstein attempted to hide the funds through a “labyrinth of cryptocurrency transactions,” authorities still managed to track the money through the block chain, with the department warning that individuals looking to launder cryptocurrency aren’t above the law.
PEOPLE Magazine notes that Morgan describes herself as a “serial entrepreneur,” SaaS investor, “surrealist artist,” fashion designer, and Forbes writer on her Twitter bio, where she boasts over 29,000 followers on the platform.
Her last tweet was sent out on February 5th, where she promoted one of her original songs aimed at promoting awareness on endometriosis.
The outlet notes that Morgan was previously a contributor for Forbes from 2017 to 2021. However, last September, the publication released a statement stating they had “ended the relationship” with Morgan. Forbes also emphasized she was “never an employee” with the publication.
More recently, Morgan has been attempting to make a name for herself on YouTube, where she performs under the stage name Razzlekhan. She’s shared a number of original songs on the platform, including “High at the Cemetery” and “Vacuum Cleaner.” Morgan only has 184 subscribers on YouTube as well as only several thousand views on her videos.
Morgan is also advertises herself as the co-founder and CEO of Endpass, a “delightful and secure Ethereum wallet that's easy enough for grandma to use,” as it’s described on LinkedIn. The software company claims to provide security against global cybercrime and fraud, which is ironic in light of the charges Morgan and Lichtenstein are facing.
As PEOPLE notes, Lichtenstein says he’s the founder of Endpass on what appears to be his personal LinkedIn page. Describing himself as a “tech entrepreneur,” just like his wife’s Twitter bio, Lichtenstein adds that he’s currently an investor in Demandpath, an advisor at SalesFolk, and a mentor at 500 Startups.
Morgan and Lichtenstein were scheduled to make their first appearance in federal court earlier this week. Their case remains ongoing.
Sources: US Department of Justice, PEOPLE Magazine, YouTube, LinkedIn,