Ilya Lichtenstein, who pleaded guilty to laundering billions in bitcoin linked to the Bitfinex crypto exchange hack, says he has been released from prison earlier than expected.
In a post on X on Thursday evening, Lichtenstein wrote that he was out early “thanks to President Trump’s First Step Act,” referring to the criminal justice reform law enacted during Donald Trump’s first term in office.
“I remain committed to making a positive impact in cybersecurity as soon as I can,” Lichtenstein said. “To the supporters, thank you for everything. To the haters, I look forward to proving you wrong.”
The U.S. Department of Justice arrested Lichtenstein and his wife, Heather Morgan, in 2022 and seized about $3.6 billion in bitcoins tied to the Bitfinex breach. The couple drew widespread attention following their arrest and later became the focus of a Netflix documentary titled “Biggest Heist Ever”.
Lichtenstein subsequently admitted his role in the hack and was sentenced to five years in prison.
It remains unclear whether the Trump administration had any direct involvement in his early release. An administration official told CNBC that Lichtenstein “has served significant time on his sentence and is currently on home confinement consistent with statute and Bureau of Prisons policies.”