On October 24, more than $20 million in crypto was moved from a wallet under US government control, raising concerns about a possible theft.
The assets, seized from the infamous Bitfinex
Arkham Intelligence reported that this address received $13.7 million in aUSDC, $5.5 million in USD Coin
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These transfers caught the attention of ZachXBT, a well-known anonymous blockchain investigator. Describing the activity as "nefarious," he suggested that the funds might have been stolen.
The recipient wallet used 1inch, a DEX aggregator, to convert the stablecoins into Ethereum, which was later sent to instant exchanges like N Exchange , Switchain, and a "nested exchange" that relies on Binance for liquidity.
The 2016 Bitfinex hack, where these assets were confiscated from, was one of the largest crypto heists in history. The perpetrators, Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan, are a married couple from New York City who later admitted to money laundering conspiracies. Prosecutors are currently seeking a five-year prison sentence for Lichtenstein due to his significant involvement in the crime and other related offenses, while Morgan faces an 18-month jail term.