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Netflix is giving the Bitcoin heist couple the ‘Tiger King’ treatment

That was fast. Netflix has already green-lit a documentary series on the colorful couple accused of laundering billions in a crypto heist.

Netflix is giving the Bitcoin heist couple the ‘Tiger King’ treatment

[Source Images:
R.Tsubin/Getty]

BY Steven Melendez1 minute read

Just days after Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan were arrested on charges they conspired to launder cryptocurrency worth $4.5 billion stolen in a 2016 hack of the Bitfinex exchange, Netflix announced it’s ordered a documentary series about the couple.

Morgan quickly gained internet infamy for her sideline as a “comedic” rapper, performing cringeworthy tunes under the name Razzlekhan, and as a contributor to business publications including Inc. and Forbes.

The movie will be the latest in a series of popular TV documentaries and podcasts exploring colorful figures from the world of white collar crime. The show will be led by director and executive producer Chris Smith, who produced the early-pandemic smash hit documentary Tiger King and produced and directed Fyre, about the infamous Fyre Festival. According to Netflix, he’ll be joined by executive producer Nick Bilton, who produced the documentary The Inventor, about Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, who was recently convicted of fraud.

Netflix and its streaming and cable rivals are in a continuous race to commission new viral series, with subscribers sometimes eager to drop streaming services after they make it through the latest series of their favorites.

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Federal officials say they’ve seized $3.6 billion of the funds allegedly stolen in the Bitfinex hack. Prosecutors say they believe the pair still have control over millions of dollars in Bitcoin, which authorities have yet to recover.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steven Melendez is an independent journalist living in New Orleans. More