Meet Heather Morgan: The 'Rapper' and Forbes Contributor Arrested in the $4B Bitcoin Heist

By Jeff John Roberts

The crypto world is buzzing over the news that the Justice Department has seized billions of dollars worth of Bitcoin stolen in the 2016 Bitfinex hack—and about the 31-year-old New York woman arrested in the case.

According to the FBI, Heather Morgan and her husband Ilya Lichtenstein conspired to launder funds from the hack, and spent the proceeds on gold, NFTs, and other items.

While you'd expect crypto criminals to keep a low profile, especially those who made off with billions in Bitcoin, that isn't the case with this alleged culprit. Morgan's aspirations to be a rapper, writer, and influencer has left a lengthy trail of pictures and videos on social media, including these from TikTok:

Morgan, whose lyrics in the video above include "yes that was cheesy/at least I'm not sleazy," also has a website dedicated to her rapper alter-ego named "Razzlekhan." Her website explains that "Just like her fearless entrepreneurial spirit and hacker mindset, Razz shamelessly explores new frontiers of art."

Screenshot of Razz's website.

Morgan's LinkedIn profile, meanwhile, describes her as a "Serial Entrepreneur, SaaS Investors and Surrealist." It notes she obtained a BA in Economics from UC Davis, and lists her skills as "Inside Sales" and "Email Marketing."

Heather Morgan's LinkedIn profile.

Morgan has also tried her hand as a journalist, publishing articles for Inc and as a contributor at Forbes where she has written about everything from soul food to influencer strategies to—ironically—how to "Protect Your Business from Cybercriminals."

Her Instagram account, meanwhile, is a lively collection of photos showing off her life in New York City, including one with her alleged partner-in-crime, Lichtenstein.

Images from Heather Morgan's Instagram account.

Morgan's lively social life also included giving talks at New York City salon nights, including one titled "How to Social Engineer Your Way Into Anything" (including, perhaps, the cryptocurrency world).

The Justice Department must, of course, still prove its allegations in court that Morgan laundered the $4.5 billion in Bitcoin stolen from Bitfinex in 2016.

If Morgan is indeed guilty as charged, her lifestyle is in for an abrupt change. According to the Justice Department, she and Lichtenstein face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the money laundering charge, plus five more for conspiring to defraud the U.S. government.

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