WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st June, 2022) Prosecutors have requested that the US District Court to the District of Columbia. delay the date of the next hearing in the Ilya Lichtenstein case because of ongoing plea deal talks, the court paper revealed on Tuesday.
The US authorities arrested Lichtenstein, who is dual US and Russian citizen, and his wife Heather Morgan earlier this year for allegedly conspiring to launder cryptocurrency stolen from a $4.5 billion hack of the virtual exchange Bitfinex in 2016.
Law enforcement recovered more than 94,000 Bitcoin valued at more than $3.6 billion at the time of the seizure.
"The government respectfully moves that the status hearing in this case currently scheduled for June 3, 2022 be continued for approximately 60 days until on or about August 2, 2022, and that the time from June 3, 2022 until the date of the next status hearing in this case be excluded from computation under the Speedy Trial Act," US Attorney Matthew Graves and his colleagues said in the request to the court.
The prosecutors pointed out that the defendants do not oppose the motion. They said the additional time will allow the parties to engage in discovery and in discussions regarding possible resolutions of the case short of trial. They also pointed out that defendants have to review "voluminous financial records."
US magistrate judge Robin Meriweather granted the motion.
"ORDERED that the currently scheduled status/preliminary hearing on June 3, 2022, be continued for good cause to August 2, 2022," Meriweather said.
