Judge suspends the release of Bitfinex hacker money laundering suspect

stayed an earlier order by a New York Magistrate Judge to release Ilya "Dutch" Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan on bail. The two were arrested Tuesday by federal officials on charges stemming from a 2016 hack of the Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange. The U.S. Department of Justice also said officials seized 94 while Morgan got the same with a $3 million bond. The parents of both defendants were required pending an investigation by pretrial services officers. The government initially asked for a $100 million bond prosecutors can seek a lighter sentence or a judge can choose to impose a below-maximum sentence. Tuesday’s hearing was intended to determine whether the defendants would be held in pre-trial detention. Defense attorneys said the defendants have prosecutors said in court. As a condition of their bond sentenced Lichtenstein to home detention with a wearable GPS and a $5 million bond but had not fled ahead of their arrest. This was the reason the judge said she granted bail. Prosecutors said during the hearing that the defendants had a file on their computer titled "passport_ideas.txt US Officials Seize $3.6B in Bitcoin From 2016 Bitfinex Hack An attached statement of facts further alleged that Lichtenstein and Morgan had control of a crypto wallet which held the proceeds from the 2016 hack Judge suspends the release of Bitfinex hacker money laundering suspect A federal judge has halted the release of two individuals suspected of laundering proceeds from the 2016 Bitfinex hack. Chief Judge Beryl Howell worth over $3.5 billion at today's prices. Inner City Press first reported the news late Tuesday. Judge Howell's order will stay their release until her court can review the initial order. Prosecutors sought pretrial detention during the hearing this afternoon Freeman said during the hearing. One of the defense attorneys said the file was meant to open financial accounts as a condition of the bond