Booking photos for Heather Morgan and Ilya Lichtenstein.
Courtesy: Alexandria Adult Detention Center.
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has rescheduled the plea hearings for the “Crypto Couple,” who are accused of attempting to launder $4.5 billion in stolen bitcoin. This rescheduling occurred in anticipation of former President Donald Trump’s appearance in the same courthouse on a new criminal indictment. The judge made this decision after individuals had already started lining up outside the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse, hoping to witness Trump’s arraignment.
Trump has been charged with four felony counts related to his efforts to overturn his loss in the 2020 election against President Joe Biden. He has been summoned to appear in U.S. District Court in Washington at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday before Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya. The Department of Justice expects Trump to be present at the hearing.
The “Crypto Couple,” Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein and Heather “Razzlekahn” Rhiannon Morgan, were already scheduled to appear in the same court for separate plea hearings at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. Previous court filings indicated their intention to plead guilty.
However, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly has rescheduled Lichtenstein’s hearing to 9:30 a.m. and Morgan’s hearing to 11 a.m. on Thursday, citing “exigent circumstances.”
On Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023, people lined up outside the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington, D.C., awaiting the arraignment of Donald Trump.
Ryan Reilly | NBC News
In February 2022, Lichtenstein and Morgan were arrested on charges of attempting to launder 119,754 bitcoin stolen during the 2016 hack of Bitfinex, a cryptocurrency exchange. They previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, which included money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Last month, prosecutors filed a new charging document against the couple, containing the same criminal counts. This document, known as an information, is typically used by prosecutors when defendants have agreed to plead guilty.
Morgan has been released on a $3 million bond, while Lichtenstein, a Russian emigré, has remained in jail since his arrest, as he was deemed a flight risk and denied bail.
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