The New York prosecutor's office rejoices after stopping a maxi-laundering of bitcoins. The blitz of the century made it possible to recover the equivalent of $4,5 billion, dealing a major blow to digital crime. Or maybe not, because the culprits, who ended up in US jails and destined to stay there for quite a while after the judge denied them bail, look a bit like two modern Bonnie & Clyde, with a pinch of madness worthy of ending up in a movie. And rest assured: it will end there.
Here is the story of Ilya Liechtenstein, 34 years old, and his lady, Heather Morgan, 31, accused of wanting launder 119,754 stolen bitcoins (not by them) in 2016 to a Hong Kong broker and have since moved through thousands of operations in order to deceive the authorities. Without hiding: indeed, pursuing notoriety by any means.
The rapper "Bedouin of Versace"
Species lei, the character of the couple, stage name Razzlekhan, which is defined as "the infamous crocodile of Wall Street, without fear and without shame", as he likes to be called in a video shot in the financial district of the Big Apple dedicated "to entrepreneurs and hackers".
In his most famous hit on YouTube, entitled "Versace Bedouin", he punctuates to the sound of rap her multifaceted personality: “I am many things, a rapper, an economist, a journalist and a writer. I'm a CEO and a dirty, dirty, dirty h!”. Indeed, a "Turkish Martha Stewart", comparing her alleged experience in Silicon Valley to a figure of show business dear to Wall Street.
Put like this, she seems more like an unbalanced woman. But Heather, as stated in the biography published on her website, boasts more than one success in her protean career, in which "she alternates between art, fashion creations and her main activity: the study of the best solutions to combat cyber crime". Yes, the rapper also boasts a decent resume like Forbes contributor, for which he has published more than one article on "how to find scams on the web" and extricate yourself in the jungle of cryptocurrencies". But also "Four simple marketing rules to sell goods for 370 million dollars" or "The three steps to become an expert in anything".
The Russian Ilya, called "The Dutchman"
As a the husband, nickname the Dutchman, Russian by birth, cyber security expert and custodian of an infallible method "to protect one's passwords", a formula that misfired because for months investigators patiently traced his and the "Versace Bedouin" attempts to recycle Bitcoins. With modest success. The loot, from what emerges from the investigations, is reduced to a prepaid shopping voucher of 500 dollars at Wal-Mart, a playstation, receipts for trips with Uber in and around Manhattan. For the rest, alone a myriad of fund shifts, more than 2 transactions around the planet's virtual exchanges without ever leaving the New York apartment. And without hiding: Heather, in fact, allowed herself the luxury of an illuminated billboard in Times Square.
The intervention of the FBI
This is the first real Bitcoin cybergang defeated by the Federal Bureau, which does not hide its enthusiasm. “The arrests show that cryptocurrencies are not a safe haven for criminals,” reads the official statement by Manhattan Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, following the seizure of 119.754 bitcoins that disappeared in 2016 from the records of Bitfinex, a Hong Kong broker Kong forced by theft into bankruptcy. They come for the first time caught the elusive hackers red-handed, able with their electronic magic to escape the meshes of justice.
On the contrary: no, because in the eternal battle between cops and robbers this time the law has triumphed. After bitter contention, because, continues the note from the investigators enthusiastically, “in a futile effort to maintain digital anonymity, those arrested laundered the funds in a labyrinth of cryptocurrencies. We proved that we are able to track money anywhere, even in blockchains".
The Strange Case of Nancy Pelosi
Or maybe not much further. On the day of the triumph of justice over Versace's Bedouin, a yellow light turns on in Washington: Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, has announced that she will present a bill to ban MPs from buying shares, which will only be able to operate through special insider trading-proof management. A surprise, because not later than a month ago the same Pelosi had held the opposite opinion. What happened to make the speaker change her mind? Is there some scandal on the Wall Street-Washington route? Too bad Heather can't investigate: the Bedouin risks twenty years behind bars.
