‘Razzlekhan’ and ‘Dutch’: the US couple charged with laundering Hong Kong Bitfinex bitcoin haul

Suspect Heather Morgan, charged as part of the 2016 hack of Hong Kong-based Bitfinex, had an alter-ego as a rapper

Morgan and husband allegedly sought to launder the proceeds of 119,754 bitcoin - presently valued at US$4.5 billion

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Heather Morgan, also known as ‘Razzlekhan’. Morgan and her husband have been charged with trying to launder billions of dollars worth of Bitcoin stolen in a 2016 hack of the Bitfinex currency exchange. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:35am, 10 Feb 2022Updated: 2:40pm, 10 Feb 2022

She’s accused of laundering billions of dollars in stolen bitcoin with her husband, but her alleged crimes are likely to be overshadowed by an excruciating foray into rap music.

Heather Morgan, also known - largely to herself - as “raunchy rapper” Razzlekhan, was arrested along with her husband Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein in Manhattan on Tuesday.

The headline announced by the Justice Department was the couple’s alleged involvement in laundering bitcoin stolen in a 2016 hack of Hong Kong-based digital currency exchange Bitfinex.

But public attention was swiftly diverted when it emerged that Morgan had another life as an aspiring rap star, and had put out a video that became an internet sensation for its sheer awfulness.

Dubbed “Bitcoin Bonnie and Crypto Clyde” by financial newsletter Morning Brew, Lichtenstein, 34, and Morgan, 31, are being held without bail until a hearing on Friday.

Details about Lichtenstein, a dual US-Russian national from Illinois, and Morgan, who is from California, have emerged since their arrest from their voluminous social media presence.