Crypto thief released early thanks to Trump's First Step Act

Date:
Mon, 05 Jan 2026 18:20:00 +0000

Description:
Ilya Lichtenstein is coming home after serving time for the Bitfinex hack.

FULL STORY

Ilya Lichtenstein, the hacker who was serving prison time for breaking into crypto exchange Bitfinex and stealing millions of dollars' worth of bitcoin, was released from jail early. In a short tweet posted on X, Lichtenstein thanked US President Donald Trump for his early release:

"Thanks to President Trumps 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 said. To the supporters, thank you for
everything. To the haters, I look forward to proving you wrong."

Lichtenstein is a Russian-born US citizen who was behind the 2016 Bitfinex hack, largely considered as one of the biggest crypto thefts ever. He and his wife, Heather Razzlekhan Morgan, stole nearly 120,000 bitcoin from the
exchange and then spent years laundering the funds through complex chains of wallets, darknet markets, mixers, and fake identities.

First Step Act

The pair were arrested in 2022 after investigators traced parts of the stolen crypto. Lichtenstein later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and related charges, admitting he was the technical architect
behind both the hack and the laundering operation. Both were serving prison time, with Lichtenstein getting five years, and Morgan 18 months.

The First Step Act is a US law, passed in 2018, the goal of which is to
reduce prison sentences and encourage rehabilitation. It allows certain
inmates to earn time credits for good behavior and for completing approved programs like education, job training, or drug treatment, which can be
redeemed for shorter sentences and home confinement.

Lichtensteins wife, Morgan, was also released early through the same legislation, and gave a shoutout to Papa Trump for her early release. Celebrating the release of her husband, she said: "The best New Years present
I could get was finally having my husband home after 4 years of being
apart."

Via Cybernews

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/crypto-thief-released-early-thanks-to-t rumps-first-step-act

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