![Couple accused in $4.5-billion bitcoin scheme to be separated before trial](https://cbsnews2.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2022/02/15/2010ba60-47de-48ee-bb59-af565495fc18/thumbnail/1200x630/770ae1fb3aa57b829282b7b843dc7826/gettyimages-1238324469.jpg)
Couple accused in $4.5-billion bitcoin scheme to be separated before trial
CBSN
Washington – The New York couple charged with conspiracy to launder over $4 billion in stolen bitcoin will be separated before trial — D.C. Chief District Judge Beryl Howell ruled Monday that the husband would be detained and his wife would be freed, partially undoing the decision of a New York judge who had ordered their release on bond last week.
Russian national Ilya Lichtenstein, whose social media accounts identify him as a "tech entrepreneur," is accused of attempting to launder the proceeds of almost 120,000 bitcoin stolen in a 2016 hack of Bitfinex, an online cryptocurrency exchange.
His wife, Heather Morgan, who was also charged, will be free under strict custodial supervision.
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