US Federal Court Orders Return of $9 Billion in Hacked Bitcoin to Bitfinex

#bitcoin Following the notorious 2016 hack of cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex, a U.S. federal court has ordered the return of 94,643 Bitcoin (BTC) worth over $9 billion to the exchange. The ruling comes after settlement agreements for voluntary restitution with defendants in the case. Ilya Lichtenstein, the mastermind behind the hack who stole 119,754 BTC from user accounts by breaching Bitfinex's security systems, along with his wife Heather Morgan, have pleaded guilty to money laundering charges. The U.S. Department of Justice considers this case the largest asset forfeiture in its history and has given users until January 28, 2025 to raise objections regarding the distribution of recovered assets.