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The world’s largest museum, the Smithsonian Institute in the USA, is now home to the laptop that brought down the infamous Bitfinex hackers Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan, also known by her rapper alias “Razzlekhan.” Additionally, Netflix is about to release a doc on the two and their heist.
Museum Centerpiece
The National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Museum is considered to be the world’s largest collection of money and transactional objects. It houses about 1.6 million, spanning three millennia.
A MacBook that contained the keys for the billions in stolen Bitcoin (BTC) is now stored there as well and will be displayed soon, according to the Smithsonian Magazine.
The laptop belonged to Chris Janczewski, an IRS Criminal Investigator who used it to discover the keys in the married couple’s files.
“He treated the blockchain as a digital crime scene,” the post said. “The laptop is the centerpiece of a criminal case that shows an evolving understanding of cryptocurrency.”
In 2022, the married couple were arrested for the massive hack of the Bitfinex exchange back in 2016. The US Justice Department seized some 95,000 BTC.
The duo stole and laundered a whopping 119,754 BTC, at the time worth some $71 million. Per the current price of $97,561.43, this BTC is worth $11.69 billion.
The two pled guilty last year and were recently sentenced to prison. Lichtenstein got five years and Morgan an 18-month prison sentence.
A US District Judge said during Lichtenstein’s sentencing that the crime is “massive.” “It is not comparable to other crypto crimes.”
Per the curator Ellen Feingold, “contextualized within the diversity of forms of money over the last four millennia, the laptop and the cryptocurrency it represents look less like a radical departure from the past.”
Instead, she said, it’s “a continuation of human beings defining and redefining value relative to the world around them.”
Feingold also collected a copy of Bitcoin magazine, two “physical” Bitcoins, and two pieces of 3D-printed Bitcoin jewelry.
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As Hackers Go In, Netflix Doc Comes Out
Netflix will soon release a documentary about Lichtenstein and Morgan, titled Biggest Heist Ever.
The streaming giant has already published the trailer for the doc that’s coming out on December 6.
“Their crimes earned them the nickname Bitcoin Bonnie and Clyde — and the story only gets weirder in this documentary about the most lucrative heist ever,” the description states.
The trailer features talking heads, presumably investigators, discussing the case and the events leading up to the duo’s arrest.
One person describes them as “some of the more unique people we encountered.” Also, the trailer suggests incredulity that these two people could’ve pulled off such a massive heist.
“They are this cringey couple that are posting the most insane videos on social media – while trying to pull off this incredible crime,” comments another person.
The authorities discovered fake passports, different currencies, and other paraphernalia, which a talking head likened to “a bad spy novel.”
Additionally, the doc is coming out at the most opportune time for its ranking, as Lichtenstein and Morgan head to prison.
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