Ilya Lichtenstein, who pleaded guilty to money laundering charges linked to his role in the massive hack of crypto exchange Bitfinex, has apparently been released early from prison.
one in Thursday evening’s post on XLichtenstein said he got out early because of “President Trump’s First Step Act” (a prison reform bill passed during Trump’s first term).
“I am committed to making a positive impact in cybersecurity as quickly as possible,” Lichtenstein said. “To the supporters, thank you for everything. To the haters, I look forward to proving you wrong.”
Justice Department Lichtenstein and his wife Heather Morgan were arrested In 2022 and $3.6 billion worth of Bitcoins stolen from Bitfinex were seized. The pair became infamous after their arrest and were featured in a Netflix documentary “The biggest robbery ever.”
Lichtenstein eventually admitted his role in the hack sentenced to five years in prison,
It is unclear whether the Trump administration played a direct role in the release. an administrative officer told cnbc Lichtenstein “has served significant time during his sentence and is currently under home confinement consistent with the law and Bureau of Prisons policies.”
