Ilya Lichtenstein, who hacked crypto exchange Bitfinex
and stole nearly 120,000 Bitcoin, said he has been freed from prison early. Lichtenstein
said he was being released thanks to the First Step Act, the bipartisan
prison-reform law signed by President Donald Trump.
Lichtenstein’s wife, Heather Morgan, who also pleaded
guilty as part of the bitcoin laundering scheme, celebrated her husband’s
apparent release.
Thanks to President Trump’s First Step Act, I have been released from prison early. I remain committed to making a positive impact in cybersecurity as soon as I can.To the supporters, thank you for everything.To the haters, I look forward to proving you wrong.
— Ilya Lichtenstein (@cipherstein) January 2, 2026
The Russian-U.S. national who hacked crypto exchange Bitfinex and stole nearly 120,000 bitcoin said he has been freed from prison
early thanks to the bipartisan prison-reform law signed by President Donald
Trump.
Early Exit After 2024 Sentencing
Lichtenstein, 38, had been sentenced in November
2024 to five years in prison after pleading guilty to a money laundering
conspiracy charge and admitting to the hack of crypto assets now valued in the
billions of dollars.
But late Thursday night, a post on Lichtenstein’s
official X account declared, “Thanks to President Trump’s First Step Act, I
have been released from prison early.”
“I remain committed to making a positive impact in
cybersecurity as soon as I can,” Lichtenstein’s post said. “To the supporters, thank you for everything. To the
haters, I look forward to proving you wrong.”
Keep reading: Hackers Drain Hundreds of Crypto Wallets, Targeting Accounts Under $2,000: Report
According to CNBC, a Trump administration official
told the publication that Lichtenstein “has served significant time on his
sentence and is currently on home confinement consistent with statute and
Bureau of Prisons policies.”
Trump Law at the Center
Lichtenstein’s wife, Heather Morgan — who also pleaded
guilty to helping launder the stolen funds — shared Lichtenstein’s message on
her own X account, saying, “The best New Years present I could get was finally
having my husband home after 4 years of being apart.”
Morgan’s tweet, posted two minutes after
Lichtenstein’s, included a photo of the couple smiling for a selfie. Lichtenstein’s sentence included credit for time he
already served in custody following his arrest in 2022, more than five years
after Bitfinex was hacked.
Lichtenstein was sentenced to five years in prison last year. In
addition to the massive crypto heist, Lichtenstein was convicted of conspiracy
to commit money laundering and will face three years of supervised release
after completing his prison term.
The sentencing comes after Lichtenstein and his wife,
Heather Morgan, who also played a central role in the scheme, pleaded guilty to
conspiracy to commit money laundering. Morgan’s sentencing is set for November
18.
This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.
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