Crypto Thief in $4.5 Billion Heist Testifies as US Cooperator

A hacker who looted billions of dollars from crypto exchange Bitfinex revealed details of how he was able to pull off one of largest Bitcoin heists in history.

Ilya Lichtenstein, who appeared as a cooperating US government witness in a money laundering trial in Washington, told a jury Tuesday that he had access to Bitfinex’s systems for several months and also hacked into individual accounts at other crypto exchanges such as Coinbase and Kraken. Lichtenstein and his social-media rapper wife pleaded guilty last year to a money-laundering conspiracy tied to the hack.

Lichtenstein testified about how he used a ...