Netflix has ordered a documentary series on the hacking of the Bitfinex exchange. Recently, the justice system arrested an American couple suspected of being behind the hack.
Bitfinex soon on Netflix
Netflix has ordered the production of a documentary series telling the story of the 2016 hack of the Bitfinex exchange and the subsequent conspiracy to launder about $4.5 billion in Bitcoin (BTC).
Chris Smith, who directed the Fyre Festival documentary and served as executive producer of the Tiger King series, will direct and produce the Bitfinex series alongside Nick Bilton. Bilton wrote the book “American Kingpin” about the hunt for Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht.
The announcement of the documentary echoes the recent arrest of a young couple living in New York suspected of perpetrating the Bitfinex hack. Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan allegedly attempted to launder 120,000 BTC progressively. How? The U.S. Department of Justice says they used Bitcoin ATMs and made purchases of non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
So far, law enforcement has already seized 94,643 BTC, or more than $3.6 billion. This represents exactly 79% of the total amount. If Morgan and Lichtenstein are convicted, they face up to 25 years in prison.
QuadrigaCX exchange also on Netflix
At the end of 2021, Netflix had already announced the preparation of a documentary: “Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King”. The series will tell the story of the exchange QuadrigaCX, whose founder Gerald Cotten suddenly died while controlling the keys to users’ wallets.
Some believe that Gerald Cotten faked his death to vanish with the funds of the platform’s users. This documentary series will be released during 2022.