According to a recent tweet posted by @PeckShieldAlert crypto analytics account, the fifth largest Bitcoin address may be controlled by an entity that is believed not to favor the world's premier digital currency much.
Here's who controls $2.46 billion in Bitcoin
@PeckShieldAlert tweeted that the aforementioned wallet is controlled by the U.S. government, and it currently holds a whopping 94,643 BTC worth approximately $2.46 billion.
This Bitcoin was seized by hackers who attacked the Bitfinex exchange in the summer of 2016.
#PeckShieldAlert The 5th largest #Bitcoin wallet, holding 94,643 $BTC (worth ~$2.46B currently), is believed to be under the control of the U.S. Government.
— PeckShieldAlert (@PeckShieldAlert) August 29, 2023
The seizure address is directly linked to the 2016 #Bitfinex Hack. On February 1st, 2022, 1CGA4s transferred ~567.5 $BTC… pic.twitter.com/J7ai1vVruK
A married couple — Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan — was arrested for conducting a hack on Bitfinex and scooping up almost 120,000 Bitcoins from it in August 2016. Now, this amount of BTC is worth more than $4.5 billion. Back in 2016, all these Bitcoins cost $71 million.
Hackers moving hundreds of millions of USD in BTC before their arrest
They were taken into custody in New York last year after the police managed to trace their wealth back to the crypto hack of the aforementioned major exchange.
Before their arrest, in February 2022, they moved large amounts of Bitcoin, and these transfers did not escape the attention of Whale Alert crypto tracker; two 10,000 BTC lumps were moved, each worth more than $383 million.
Back in April 2021, the hackers transferred a similar amount of funds and had been, overall, moving small portions of the stolen BTC since 2016, trying to be careful and not expose themselves.
In 2020, Bitfinex even offered a deal with a $400 million reward to those who could help it hunt down the exploiters and return the stolen Bitcoins to the platform. That was not successful, however.
Vladislav Sopov
Gamza Khanzadaev
