Former CIA agent and whistleblower Edward Snowden has reacted to the arrest of two persons by the U.S. Department of Justice over an alleged conspiracy to launder $4.5 billion in stolen Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) linked to the 2016 hack of cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex.
What Happened: Snowden said on Twitter the DOJ seemed to be alleging that one of the arrested persons — a man named Ilya Lichtenstein — was the same person who had previously warned people on social media about the threat of hacks in the cryptocurrency space.
Snowden also noted tongue-in-cheek that the Cloud is a place “trivially accessible” to the U.S. government.
Ed, are you saying that the US Government isn't telling the whole story?!?? I'm shocked. Shocked I say!
— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) February 9, 2022
See Also: How To Buy Bitcoin (BTC)
Why It Matters: Lichtenstein’s Twitter profile says he is a Web 3.0 developer and serial entrepreneur.
A tweet by the Fintwit investor community noted that Lichtenstein is a tech entrepreneur and alumnus of the Silicon Valley accelerator program Y Combinator, while his wife Heather Morgan — who was also arrested — is a Forbes columnist.
Ilya Lichtenstein, a tech entrepreneur and Y combinator alum.
— Fintwit (@fintwit_news) February 8, 2022
Heather Morgan, a Forbes columnist.
Today they were arrested for trying to launder billions in stolen crypto. They face up to 20 years in prison. pic.twitter.com/iUNRJDfVfL
Snowden — a cryptocurrency enthusiast — revealed in November last year that he used Bitcoin to aid the process of leaking classified government documents in 2013.
The prominent privacy campaigner had also criticized Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) controversial plan to scan users’ iPhones for child sexual abuse material (CSAM), saying it marked the dawn of a “dark future.”
Price Action: Bitcoin is down 2.4% during the past 24 hours, trading at $43,294.42 at press time.
Photo: Courtesy of Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia
