Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - ‘Dutch, Razzlekhan’: US couple responsible for record bitcoin haul

‘Dutch, Razzlekhan’: US couple responsible for record bitcoin haul

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Heather Morgan, also known as ‘Razzlekhan ‘ on a phone in front of the Bitcoin logo displayed on a screen in Washington, DC, on Wednesday. AFP

‘Dutch, Razzlekhan’: US couple responsible for record bitcoin haul

She’s accused of laundering billions of dollars in stolen bitcoin with her husband, but her alleged crimes are likely to be overshadowed by an excruciating foray into rap music.

Heather Morgan, also known – largely to herself – as “raunchy rapper” Razzlekhan, was arrested along with her husband Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein in Manhattan on Tuesday.

The headline announced by the Justice Department was the couple’s alleged involvement in laundering bitcoin stolen in a 2016 hack of the virtual currency exchange Bitfinex.

But public attention was swiftly diverted when it emerged that Morgan had another life as an aspiring rap star, and had put out a video that became an internet sensation for its sheer awfulness.

Dubbed “Bitcoin Bonnie and Crypto Clyde” by financial newsletter Morning Brew, Lichtenstein, 34, and Morgan, 31, are being held without bail until a hearing on Friday.

Details about Lichtenstein, a dual US-Russian national from Illinois, and Morgan, who is from California, have emerged since their arrest from their voluminous social media presence.

Morgan’s cringeworthy rap videos in particular were burning up the internet before being taken offline.

On her website, Morgan calls herself “Razzlekhan” or the “Versace Bedouin” – “the raunchy rapper with more pizzazz that Genghis Khan.”

“I’m a real risk taker/pirate riding the flood/I’m a badass money maker,” she raps in one video in which she refers to herself as the “Crocodile of Wall Street”.

“Come real far but don’t know where I’m headed/Blindly following rules is for fools,” she says, gyrating on Wall Street wearing sunglasses, a leopard print scarf, and shiny gold jacket.

“Her art often resembles something in between an acid trip and a delightful nightmare,” Morgan wrote about herself on her website, Razzlekhan.com. “Definitely not for the faint of heart or easily offended.

“Razz likes to push the limits of what people are comfortable with,” she said. “Her style has often been described as ‘sexy horror comedy.’”

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
The US Justice Department announced on Tuesday it had recovered more than 94,000 bitcoins stolen in 2016, currently valued at $3.6 billion, a record seizure. AFP

When not making rap videos or posting pictures of her artwork or Bengal cat on Facebook, Morgan was a contributor to the financial publications Forbes and Inc.

A June 2020 article she wrote for Forbes was ironically titled: “Experts Share Tips To Protect Your Business From Cybercriminals.”

Living my ideal life

According to Morgan’s videos and Facebook postings, she grew up in California, the daughter of a biologist and a high school librarian.

She graduated from the University of California, Davis, and went to work as an economist after doing graduate work at the American University in Cairo.

Morgan said she eventually became a “serial software entrepreneur who started multiple successful companies” including one called SalesFolk.

More discreet online, Lichtenstein described himself on LinkedIn as a “technology entrepreneur, coder and investor” and the founder of several tech companies.

In a Facebook post, he recalled how he proposed to Morgan – “my best friend and the woman of my dreams!”

It involved what Lichtenstein called a “weird, creative multi-channel marketing campaign” that saw posters of “Razzlekhan” plastered across New York City and her face on a Times Square billboard.

In one YouTube video, Morgan said her parents “didn’t have a lot of money.”

“I’ve also been totally broke and homeless multiple times,” she said. “Money comes and goes. Sometimes you have it, sometimes you don’t.

“It’s really nice when you have it but nothing in this life is certain,” she said. “Right now I’m basically living my ideal life.”

Lichtenstein and Morgan allegedly sought to launder the proceeds of 119,754 bitcoin – presently valued at $4.5 billion – stolen in the 2016 hack of Bitfinex.

The Justice Department said it had recovered 94,000 of the stolen bitcoin valued at over $3.6 billion at the time of the seizure.

The couple face up to 25 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to launder money.

MOST VIEWED

  • Joy as Koh Ker Temple registered by UNESCO

    Cambodia's Koh Ker Temple archaeological site has been officially added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 17. The ancient temple, also known as Lingapura or Chok Gargyar, is located in

  • Ream base allegations must end, urges official

    A senior government official urges an end to the allegations and suspicions surrounding the development of Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, now that Prime Minister Hun Manet has addressed the issue on the floor of the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA 78). Jean-Francois Tain, a geopolitical

  • Cambodia set to celebrate Koh Ker UNESCO listing

    To celebrate the inscription of the Koh Ker archaeological site on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Ministry of Cults and Religion has appealed to pagodas and places of worship to celebrate the achievement by ringing bells, shaking rattles and banging gongs on September 20. Venerable

  • CP denied registration documents by ministry

    The Ministry of Interior will not reissue registration documents to the Candlelight Party (CP). Following a September 21 meeting between ministry secretary of state Bun Honn and CP representatives, the ministry cited the fact that there is no relevant law which would authorise it to do

  • Cambodian diaspora laud Manet’s UN Assembly visit

    Members of the Cambodian diaspora are rallying in support of Prime Minister Hun Manet’s forthcoming visit to the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA 78) in the US’ New York City this week. Their move is an apparent response to a recent call by self-exiled former

  • After three deferrals, Capital Gains Tax to take effect Jan 1, 2024

    The General Department of Taxation (GDT) will implement the Capital Gains Tax starting January 1, 2024 to after being deferred three times as industrial players warn that the implementation might have some negative impact on the property market growth, which is down due to the economic downturn.