Thursday, February 10, 2022
CRYPTO SEIZURE MYSTERY-THRILLER: "Sexy Horror Comedy" in the Wake of Biggest All-Time DOJ Asset Seizure
‘Sexy horror comedy’: Bitcoin laundering suspect is also ‘raunchy rapper’ Razzlekhan
Heather Morgan, arrested on suspicion of laundering cryptocurrency worth billions, has a second life as performer with ‘more pizzazz than Genghis Khan’
A woman accused of laundering billions of dollars in stolen cryptocurrency alongside her husband may end up becoming better known for her excruciating music career as a self-styled “raunchy rapper” called Razzlekhan.
Heather Morgan was arrested along with her husband, Ilya Lichtenstein, in Manhattan on Tuesday over their alleged involvement in laundering bitcoin stolen in a 2016 hack of the virtual currency exchange Bitfinex. They are not accused of involvement in the hack itself but face charges of conspiring to commit money laundering as well as to defraud the United States.
However, the charges risk being overshadowed by Morgan’s portrayal of an apparently lavish lifestyle online as a “badass money maker” and performer. The 31-year-old has published an extensive catalogue of rap videos, DIY techniques and other lifestyle issues on social media platforms including Instagram and TikTok, calling herself the “Turkish Martha Stewart” or the “Waffle Queen of Korea”. . .
> On her website, Morgan calls herself Razzlekhan or the “Versace Bedouin … the raunchy rapper with more pizzazz than 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.
Morgan, 31, was arrested along with her husband, Ilya Lichtenstein, 34, in Manhattan on Tuesday.
The pair is accused of conspiring to launder 119,754 bitcoin stolen after a hacker broke into Bitfinex and initiated more than 2,000 unauthorised transactions. Justice department officials said the transactions at the time were valued at $71m in bitcoin, but with the rise in the currency’s value, it is now valued at over $4.5bn.
[...] However, thanks to their ubiquitous social media presence, details about Morgan, from California, and Lichtenstein, a dual US-Russian national from Illinois also known as “Dutch”, have emerged since their arrest.
“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. . ."
READ MORE It's delicious! https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/feb/10/sexy-horror-comedy-bitcoin-laundering-suspect-is-also-raunchy-rapper-razzlekhan
========================================================================
Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein raised money from Mark Cuban and other well-known investors. His wife, Heather Morgan, built a following as a quirky rapper and social media luminary.
By Cyrus Farivar, David Jeans and Thomas Brewster
Heather Morgan and her husband, Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein, seemed to lead a successful life as tech entrepreneurs and thought leaders. Lichtenstein invested in startups alongside heavyweights like Marc Benioff and had launched his own company backed by Mark Cuban. Morgan styled herself as a prolific thought leader, posting online articles about women in leadership, and even had an alter ego as a goofy YouTube rapper called Razzlekhan, who talked about success and money.
But they had a secret, according to investigators with the IRS. Morgan, 31, and her husband, Lichtenstein, 34, were arrested in New York on Tuesday and charged with trying to launder $3.6 billion in bitcoin stolen by hackers from the Bitfinex exchange six years ago. If convicted of the charges against them, each could serve up to 25 years in prison. Court documents unsealed this week detail an elaborate scheme to launder and conceal the origins of the stolen bitcoins. Lichtenstein and Morgan are not charged with perpetrating the hack.
Forbes found that as the pair allegedly used a digital wallet to launder the cryptocurrency, they simultaneously styled themselves as self-made entrepreneurs, investing in companies together and, in Morgan’s case, establishing herself as a social media personality.
Since meeting about a decade ago, the two worked hard to gain a foothold in Silicon Valley and New York tech circles. Lichtenstein had proceeded through a series of failed ventures, including running a Ron Paul fan website and setting up a brain-boosting supplements business before co-founding MixRank, now a venture-backed sales and marketing company. Lichtenstein left MixRank abruptly in 2016, the same year that Bitfinex was hacked.
During that time, Morgan cast herself as an expert in “cold email” – unsolicited communications – and parlayed that into writing gigs and appearances at sales conferences.
“She came across as a smooth operator but never in a way that raised suspicions,” said Travis Lybbert, a University of California, Davis economics professor, who hired Morgan as a research assistant in 2011. “She was a very confident young person, professional, who would look for opportunities and create them.”
People who knew the couple said they were shocked by the arrests . .
[...] READ BETWEEN THE MISSING LINES BEFORE ANOTHER EXCERPT
A few months before the Bitfinex hack in August 2016, Morgan became a freelance columnist at Inc. magazine, which described her as having gone from “sleeping on couches to creating a bootstrapped seven-figure business called SalesFolk.” The following year, she also became a contributor to the ForbesWomen section on Forbes.com, where she posted articles about topics ranging from music to food. In one post, Morgan discussed how she had a speech impediment growing up and was bullied by other students in school. . .
> Lichtenstein, for his part, had established himself as a minor player in the New York tech investment world, where, according to the Justice Department, he was living in an apartment at 75 Wall Street, an exclusive block where a typical condo is valued upward of $1 million.
It was an image of success he had been building for a decade. After graduating with a major in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Lichtenstein had sought like-minded entrepreneurs and went to Silicon Valley, where he met other techno-libertarians, according to his trail of now-defunct websites and businesses identified by Forbes.
> One of his more notable sites was RonPaulFan.com, which contained a stream of news and support for the one-time Republican presidential candidate who became a famous advocate for cryptocurrency. According to the site’s banner, it was the "#1 source for all Ron Paul news.”
> Lichtenstein also dabbled in selling brain supplements around this time, claiming to have created one called Instant Focus that promised to “turbocharge your productivity,” which he said helped him “code longer and be more productive” in a post on Hacker News in October 2010.
> He also launched weight loss sites, including MyNaturalWeightLossDiet.com, which was pushing colon cleanses and acai supplements, and what appeared to be a series of dating websites, adultfriendgrinder.com and findgeekgirls.com. . .
> While those enterprises failed to get off the ground, he found more success as co-founder of MixRank, a data-driven-marketing startup, which was accepted into the Y Combinator accelerator program in 2011. . .
> Lichtenstein has not been nearly as prolific on social media as his wife. Over the past decade, his Twitter account was quiet for nearly seven years, from 2013 until 2020. But in January 2021, he complained about what he called “#BigTechCensorship.”
MORE TO THE STORY - There's always more!
A 20-page affidavit written by Christopher Janczewski, a special agent with the Internal Revenue Service, accuses Morgan and Lichtenstein of moving the stolen bitcoins “through thousands of transactions to over a dozen accounts” in their own names and businesses. . .
> But it was Lichtenstein’s use of a cloud-storage account that led to the unraveling of the alleged plot. The government decrypted a file there that contained a list of 2,000 virtual currency addresses, along with corresponding private keys. Almost all of those addresses were linked to the Bitfinex heist, according to the Justice Department, . .
UPDATE: During a detention hearing Tuesday before a federal magistrate judge, Morgan and Lichtenstein were ordered released on bond, over prosecutors' objections. The objections included the fact that Morgan allegedly “tried to lock her cellular phone to prevent law enforcement examination” and that the pair “engaged in extraordinarily complex laundering” of some of the bitcoins stolen from Bitfinex. In the end, however, Chief Judge Beryl Howell ordered the husband and wife to remain in custody. A hearing has been scheduled for Friday. . .
> In August 2019, Morgan gave a lecture on “How to Social Engineer Your Way Into Anything” to a group in New York City. When asked by an audience where the line should be drawn in social engineering, Morgan responded: “I do believe that the ends justify the means sometimes,” she said. “My end goals aren’t bad or evil. I’m not trying to scam someone out of money or get someone hurt in any way.”
ARIZONA FREEDUMB & DEMOCRAZY: An Entire Cast of Characters
Seditious Insurrectionist Oath Keeper Rep. Mark Finchem Files Bill To ‘Decertify’ Arizona’s 2020 Presidential Election (Not An Actual Thing)
By |February 8th, 2022|AZ Politics
"We all knew this was the end objective of the widely debunked and discredited Arizona Senate GQP sham “fraudit” of the 2020 (only election deniers aka Trump truthers believe this cR-AZy shit).
Seditious insurrectionist Oath Keeper Rep. Mark Finchem (a QAnon and Trump cultist) has introduced a bill to “decertify” the 2020 election in Arizona. Not all election results, mind you, just the presidential election.
Just to be clear, decertifying a presidential election is not an actual thing, it only exists in the furtive imaginations of Qanon and Trump cultists. These people are simply too crazy – and too dangerous – to be allowed anywhere near an elected office.
[ See, More than 80 Trump truthers are aiming for a power grab:
At least 51 Republican candidates who have falsely claimed that Trump won the election, spread lies about the election’s legitimacy, backed “forensic” audits, promoted conspiracy theories or took other actions to undermine election integrity are running for governor in 24 states, according to States United Action, a nonpartisan group tracking election deniers running for office. In some states, multiple election deniers are running in the same primary.
At least 21 election deniers are running for secretary of state in 18 states, an office that would put them in power to oversee voting in their states. Another 11 election deniers are running for attorney general, which would position them to get involved in election litigation and law enforcement matters. ]
Seditious insurrectionist Oath Keeper Rep. Mark Finchem is running for Arizona Secretary of State. Section 3 of the 14th Amendment bars this seditious insurrectionist from running for office.
Section 3.
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.
Here is seditious insurrectionist Oath Keeper Rep. Mark Finchem in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, “giving aid and comfort” to his fellow seditious insurrectionists.
A legal challenge to his qualifications to run for office should already have been filed against him with the Secretary of State. If it hasn’t, file one now.
A state lawmaker representing part of Pinal County has called on the state to decertify the 2020 election ahead of the release of an ‘audit’ of Maricopa County votes.
“I am calling it,” state Rep. Mark Finchem, R-Oro Valley, said in a Twitter post earlier this month.
“I call on Arizona to decertify the election of 2020 and recall the electors,” he said, though there appears to be no legal precedent for that. “There is already enough evidence to show clear and convincing fraud.”
In fact, there is literally NO EVIDENCE. . .Finchem represents Legislative District 11, which includes Maricopa, Arizona City, Picacho, Saddlebrooke, Marana and Oracle.
WTF is wrong with you people who live in this district and elect this damn fool to office?
House Speaker Rusty Bowers appears ready to kill this bill like he did the election subversion bill from election denier Rep. John Fillmore.
Arizonans will learn Friday whether a firm hired by the Senate will confirm or dispute official results which showed that Joe Biden outpolled Donald Trump in Maricopa County by enough of a margin to win the state’s 11 electoral votes.
And that presumes the report by Cyber Ninjas, which has no previous experience with elections and was funded largely by donations from Trump supporters, is considered credible. [It’s not.]
Capitol Media Services already has learned that the presentation set for 1 p.m. on Friday in the Senate chambers, will include at least two findings by others involved in the review of problems with the election returns.
(1) Former Secretary of State Ken Bennett
(2) Shiva Ayyadurai
Ayyadurai, known to his fans online simply as Dr. Shiva, is an MIT-trained engineer and entrepreneur known for his disputed claim that he invented email. He has a history of promoting discredited and debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, including during a day-long event at the downtown Phoenix Hyatt several weeks after the election that featured Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.
. . .And Senate President Karen Fann has asked the attorney general to investigate Ayyadurai’s obviously false findings.
> But the big question is bound to be whether the report — if it is to be believed — can verify or dismiss claims of fraud, malfeasance or just sloppy work that led Maricopa County to report that Biden got 45,109 more votes than Trump. That edge was enough to overturn Trump support in rural counties, giving Biden a final victory margin of 10,457.
That presentation will come from Doug Logan, CEO of Cyber Ninjas.
> One report will come from Ben Cotton, founder of a firm called CyFIR who examined the election tabulation equipment that the county surrendered to the Senate under subpoena. Cotton already has made claims county election equipment was vulnerable to hacking, a contention disputed by county officials.
> Randy Pullen, a former chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, will report a third count of the 2.1 million ballots by machine to compare that with both the number reported by the county and the number counted by Cyber Ninjas.
> Also weighing in was former Congressman Matt Salmon who is hoping to become the Republican nominee for governor. . .
[...]
And the Arizona Democratic Party already has scheduled a press conference four hours before the report is released, calling it a “farcical, conspiracy-drive audit” that is “a disgrace to our democratic processes.”
It isn’t only Democrats, however, who have raised questions. Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, running against Finchem for the Republican nomination for secretary of state, said she supported an audit but that it “has been botched,” blaming that on “total lack of competence by Fann.”
"RAZZLEKHAN" Cringe Rapper Helen Morgan...SUPRISE REVEAL IN U.S. DOJ BITCOIN SEIZURE
Seized Russian Dark Web Sites—Trump’s Dumps, Ferum Shop—Raked In $263 Million In Bitcoin, Ether And Litecoin Sales From Stolen Credit Cards
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70485406/Screen_Shot_2022_02_08_at_10.43.03.0.png)
Wednesday, February 09, 2022
MARKET WATCH VISUALIZING DATA: Momentum Indicators + Bullish Divergences
Facebook-parent Meta’s stock bounces after chart flashes most oversold reading in a decade
"The bounce comes as part of a broad rally in the technology sector, and after the stock closed Tuesday at the lowest price since June 2020, to take it 42.4% below its Sept. 7, 2021 record close of $382.18.
Also on Tuesday, the stock’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) closed at 21.52, the lowest level since the record-low close of 18.13 on Aug. 2, 2012.
The RSI is a momentum indicator that measures the magnitude of stock price gains, typically over the past 14 sessions, against the magnitude of losses. Many chart watchers view readings below 30.00 as a sign of oversold conditions. Read more about the RSI indicator.
Keep in mind that the RSI is not necessarily a good market-timing tool, as oversold conditions can last for relatively long periods. And some even see oversold conditions as a sign of a stock’s underlying weakness, in that the ability to become oversold confirms the strength of a downtrend.
For example, when Meta, then called Facebook, saw its RSI hit its low on Aug. 2, 2012, which was less than three months after the social media company went public, the stock closed at $20.04, or 47.3% below the $38 initial-public-offering price.
The stock didn’t bottom till a month later, after a further 11.5% drop to $17.73 on Sept. 4. The RSI closed that day at 27.64.
The idea is to wait for a “bullish divergence,” in which the stock keeps falling but the RSI has started rising, for a sign that the stock may be ready to launch an oversold bounce, like what happened in August 2012:
FactSet, MarketWatch
Meta’s stock has dropped 15.9% over the past 12 months, while the S&P 500 index SPX, +1.39% has rallied 17.0%.
CHINA'S HOTTEST COMMODITY: Dual-Nationality Women's Freeski Halfpipe Champion
How American Skier Eileen Gu Will Cash In On Competing For China
"American Eileen Gu said she decided to compete for China to honor her mother, who was born there. It turned out to be a great financial choice, too.
After winning a gold medal in the women’s freeski big air competition at the Winter Olympics in Beijing on Tuesday, Gu can count on endorsement deals and sponsorships from both countries, U.S. marketing experts say.
“Gu is in an interesting position where she can support both American and Chinese brands because she is passionate about both,” says Cheyenne Cantor, a marketing executive at MediaLink, a UTA company, in Los Angeles. “Gu has the opportunity to highlight brands in China that may not have the popularity that other American brands have and vice versa.”
In China, skiing is not the popular sport it is in the West, and Gu is seen as a personality who can spread the word while growing a fan base that’s loyal to her and will buy the products she endorses, Cantor said. . .
[...] Gu already has plenty of affiliations with luxury brands on both sides of the Pacific. Last year, Tiffany & Co. named her as one of three new global brand ambassadors, . .In China, her endorsements include Luckin Coffee, Bank of China, Cadillac China and China Mobile. Campaign Asia estimates she has dozens of brands working with her.
> Her face has graced the covers of Elle and Vogue China. During this month’s Games, Red Bull—another sponsor—has been releasing footage of Gu in Beijing, including a new digital series called Everyday Eileen about her ascent to stardom. This week, China-based luxury brand publication Jing Daily descried Gu as “China’s hottest commodity.”
US-born Olympic freeskier Eileen Gu dodges questions about citizenship after winning gold for China
China does not allow dual citizenship, meaning Gu would have had to give up her U.S. citizenship
The 18-year-old Olympian, born in San Francisco, was asked several times by reporters during a press conference if she had relinquished her U.S. citizenship to compete for China. Her response, each time, avoided a direct answer. . "
Ricardo Fort, who managed Olympic sponsorships for Coca-Cola and Visa during past Games, said he’d be surprised if Gu’s decision to ski for the Chinese team in the Olympics was a commercial one rather than simply sentimental. However, the decision was smart financially and can only expand her appeal in the world’s most populous country.
“If I had to choose between Chinese sponsors and American sponsors, the pool of money for endorsements in China is more interesting for any athlete,” said Fort, who’s the founder of Sport by Fort Consulting. “I don’t know if that was a motivation, but I think she’ll benefit exclusively from brands from China and not much more from Western brands.”
ONLINE LEGALIZED GAMBLING FOR SUPER BOWL...The first in online betting era is upon us, and it’s going to be wild
THE BIG TAKE
100 Million Americans Can Legally Bet on the Super Bowl. Sports Will Never Be the Same
(Photo illustration: 731; Photo: Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
The first Super Bowl of the online betting era is upon us, and it’s going to be wild.
"A decade ago, one knowledgeable authority had deep reservations about the idea of the National Football League ever embracing legalized gambling. It would create a corrosive atmosphere in which every penalty or dropped pass—the normal ebbs and flows of games—“inevitably will fuel speculation, distrust, and accusations of point-shaving or game-fixing.” The moralist was none other than NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, declaring the league’s opposition to expanding sports bookmaking outside of Nevada.
The position was born, in part, out of experience. In 1946 the league learned just before the championship game that two players from the New York Giants had been offered bribes to throw the game to the Chicago Bears. (One of them was benched for the game, and both were later suspended; the Bears won, 24-14.) Since then the league had periodically been forced to suspend players whose associations with gamblers raised the existential issue of the game’s integrity. “We should not gamble with our children’s heroes,” Goodell’s predecessor, Paul Tagliabue, told Congress in 1991. . .
-
Flash News: Ukraine Intercepts Russian Kh-59 Cruise Missile Using US VAMPIRE Air Defense System Mounted on Boat. Ukrainian forces have made ...
