WATCH: CNN Anchor’s Deadpan Reaction to Cringeworthy Rap Video by Accused Crypto Launderer ‘Razzlekhan’
A New York City couple has been arrested for allegedly trying to launder $4.5 billion of stolen cryptocurrency, but that staggering figure has been overshadowed by the wife’s hilariously bad rap video.
CNN’s Bianna Goldryga spoke for many viewers with her deadpan reaction to Heather Morgan’s mangled musical stylings, sparkly fashion sense, and rhythmically-challenged dance moves.
Morgan, 31, and her husband Ilya Lichtenstein, 34, were arrested on Tuesday, the Department of Justice announced in a statement, “for an alleged conspiracy to launder cryptocurrency that was stolen during the 2016 hack of Bitfinex, a virtual currency exchange, presently valued at approximately $4.5 billion.”
The couple is facing charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to defraud the United States, which could result in sentences of up to 20 and 5 years respectively if they are convicted. According to the DOJ, a hacker “initiated more than 2,000 unauthorized transactions,” which sent stolen bitcoins to a digital wallet under Lichtenstein’s control, and then 25,000 of those bitcoins were transferred over the next 5 years to financial accounts controlled by Morgan and Lichtenstein.
As part of the investigation so far, the DOJ said that cybercrimes special agents with the IRS had managed to seize the 94,000 bitcoins remaining in Lichtenstein’s wallet, worth approximately $3.6 billion and the government’s “largest cryptocurrency seizure to date.”
Goldryga introduced the story on CNN Newsroom Wednesday, and then brought up Morgan’s rap alter ego, “Razzlekhan.”
A short clip of one of her rap videos then played.
“Okaaaay. Well, CNN’s Sean Lyngaas joins us now,” was Goldryga’s deadpan reaction. “Sean, this is a very interesting couple, not necessarily cause of the rap there, but what the feds are saying about their scheme.”
“Right, Bianna,” said Lyngaas, “and say what you will about the rap video, and plenty of people are saying what they will about it, but there was an alleged crime that took place here.”
Lyngaas, the network’s cybersecurity reporter, added some more details about the alleged crime, noting that there were so many people who had some of their cryptocurrency stolen, and the FBI was working to try to trace the funds and get it back to the victims.
“I’ve been covering cybersecurity for about a decade,” Lyngaas added, “and this is one of the more bizarre stories I’ve come across because it has everything stereotypically involved with cryptocurrency: influencers, rap videos. One of the accused, Heather Morgan, also wrote an article for Forbes offering consumers tips on how to protect themselves from cybercriminals. The irony there speaks for itself.”
NBC News reporter Kevin Collier did a deeper dive into Morgan aka Razzlekhan. Her Twitter profile declares her to be a “serial entrepreneur” and identifies Razzlekhan as a “Surrealist Artist, Rapper & Fashion Designer with synesthesia.” Oh, and also a “Forbes writer,” as Lyngaas had noted.
Screenshot via Twitter.
There’s also this gem from Morgan’s “Razzlekhan” website:
Her website might be more cursed.https://t.co/JovbBM8jGq pic.twitter.com/TmXSa1zuDc
— Kevin Collier (@kevincollier) February 8, 2022
Morgan’s rap videos have been made private on YouTube, but not before CNN was able to get that clip, for the amusement and horror of us all.
Watch the video above via CNN.
