Ilya Lichtenstein, who garnered media attention along with his wife known by her rapper name “Razzlekhan,” has pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy in connection with the 2016 hacking of the Bitfinex crypto exchange.

Lichtenstein entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on Thursday, according to Bloomberg News. 

Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan were accused by the Justice Department of laundering $4.5 billion of crypto related to the 2016 hacking of Bitfinex exchange. Morgan, known by her rapper name “Razzlekhan,” was arrested with Lichtenstein last year and charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. 

Morgan’s hearing is set for later Thursday, according to Bloomberg. The couple faced up to 25 years in prison. 

The plea hearings were pushed forward to earlier in the day on Thursday due to potential logistic issues connected to former President Donald Trump’s court appearance on the same day in Washington D.C. 

CNBC reported that a federal judge in Washington, D.C. reset the times after lines began to form outside of E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse for Trump's arraignment. Trump is expected to appear before the judge at 4 p.m. 

Twists and turns throughout the case

The trial includes classified information, a district court judge said last year. That judge signed a protective order, indicating that the case involved information that can only be accessed by people with security clearance. 

Before the charges, Morgan had a rap career using the moniker “Razzlekhan” and led a copywriting business called SaleForce as CEO. Notably, she also gave advice on how to protect businesses from cybercriminals and how to more effectively socially engineer "your way into anything." 

Liechtenstein was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is an advisor to SalesFolk, according to his LinkedIn.