Prosecutors have requested a five-year prison term for Ilya "Dutch" Lichtenstein, who pleaded guilty last year to the 2016 hack of the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex.

Lichtenstein and his wife, Heather "Razzlekhan" Morgan, were arrested in February 2022 for conspiring to launder almost 120,000 stolen bitcoins. Initially, they believed they had laundered only a portion of the nearly $7.5 billion worth of bitcoins, but Lichtenstein eventually admitted to being the hacker.

According to court filings, they laundered 25,111 bitcoins, representing about 21% of the total stolen, utilizing complex methods involving Eastern European bank accounts and mixing services to obscure the funds' origins. Prosecutors emphasized that their tactics were unprecedented, describing them as the most intricate money laundering schemes ever observed by investigators.

In August 2023, Lichtenstein pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy for money laundering with potential sentences of up to 20 years, while Morgan faced a lighter sentence of five years for a separate money laundering count due to her lack of prior knowledge about the initial theft until 2020.

Prosecutors aim to impose a significant sentence on Lichtenstein, arguing that he meticulously planned and executed the hack, even recalling his past encounters with crime as a juvenile. They hope to deter others from similar paths.

Lichtenstein's sentencing is scheduled for November 14 at 2:00 PM in Washington, D.C., followed by Morgan's on the next day.