Amazon Developing A Film Based on $3B Bitfinex Bitcoin Heist
Amazon’s MGM Studios is reportedly in early development on a feature film dramatizing the story of Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan’s role in laundering billions worth of Bitcoin stolen in the 2016 Bitfinex exchange hack.
According to a report by Deadline, the movie titled “Razzlekhan” will adapt a 2022 New York Times article dubbing the pair “Bitcoin’s Bonnie and Clyde” for their brazen crypto exploits.
Key Details:
- Script based on real-life Bitfinex hack laundering.
- 119,754 BTC were stolen in 2016, worth $54 million then.
- The couple helped launder over 94,000 BTC over the years.
- Apprehended in 2022, the stolen Bitcoin is now worth $3 billion+.
- Both pleaded guilty in 2023 to money laundering charges.
- Morgan is known for her rap persona, “Razzlekhan.”
Read more: SEC Unlikely To Greenlight Ethereum ETF Until Late 2025: TD Cowen
Amazon’s feature film could take on a dramatic vibe
After the massive exchange breach in 2016, Lichtenstein and Morgan allegedly worked to obscure the movement of funds using an array of accounts and platforms.
By the time of the duo’s dramatic 2022 arrest, the value of the stolen stash had surged over 50-fold to north of $3 billion. Both eventually struck plea deals with prosecutors centered on money laundering conspiracy charges.
Unlike recent documentaries examining the cultural impacts of crypto, Razzlekhan appears positioned as a character study spotlighting the motivations and mechanics behind the laundering.
Read more: $2.61 Billion Lost In Crypto Hacks And Scams In 2023: PeckShield
The distinctive personalities of Lichtenstein and Morgan, especially her flamboyant rapper alter-ego, could offer plenty of cinematic flair.
Though details remain scarce, the film may attempt to balance glamorized depictions of criminality with the scale of the harm caused to hack victims.
