Introduction
Netflix revealed on Friday that it had ordered a docuseries about Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan, who were recently arrested and accused of conducting a huge cryptocurrency laundering scam.
The New York Times reported that Lichtenstein and Morgan were arrested on February 8 on accusations related to a 2016 hack of the Bitcoin virtual currency exchange. The two allegedly hacked into the exchange and took approximately 120,000 Bitcoins.
The two allegedly tried to launder the assets by creating fictitious identities and online accounts to acquire physical gold and NFTs while the value of the stolen cryptocurrency grew from $71 million to over $5 billion. According to a Netflix press release, the case of Lichtenstein and Morgan is “the greatest financial criminal case in history.”
Tapping In More Details
Chris Smith, who has directed multiple documentaries and docuseries for Netflix, many of which focus on scam artists and criminal activity, will helm the series. In 2019, he directed “Fyre – the Greatest Event That Never Happened,” a documentary on the infamous 2017 music festival, which resulted in organizer Billy McFarland’s six-year prison sentence.
In the same year, he directed “The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann,” an eight-part Netflix drama on the disappearance of the titular three-year-old, who was reported missing while on vacation with her family in Portugal.
Chris Smith, the management producer behind the strange success Tiger King and director of FYRE: The Biggest Celebration That Never Occurred, will helm the docuseries. Nick Bilton, whose credits include The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, a documentary on the Theranos crisis, will serve as government producer. Netflix hasn’t revealed any information about the show’s possible release date or cast members.
What To Look Forward To?
Last year, he directed HBO’s “100 Foot Wave,” a documentary series about big-wave surfer Garrett McNamara’s career. The series has been renewed for a second season by the network. Smith and Nick Bilton, who has produced documentaries and docuseries such as “Fake Famous,” “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley,” and “American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road,” executive produce the series.
References;
- https://news.bitcoin.com/netflix-crypto-series-couples-alleged-scheme-launder-4-5b-in-bitcoin-stolen-bitfinex/
- https://www.arabnews.com/node/2023846/business-economy
- https://www.msn.com/en-US/news/other/netflix-orders-docuseries-on-crypto-laundering-couple/ar-AATM6ni?ocid=FinanceShimLayer
