Bitfinex Hacker Ilya Lichtenstein Released Early Due to Trump's First Step Act

Ilya Lichtenstein, the hacker involved in the massive 2016 Bitfinex breach, has been granted early release from prison. He attributes his reduced sentence to the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform bill signed into law by former President Donald Trump. Lichtenstein, along with his wife Heather Morgan, was arrested in 2022 for allegedly laundering billions in cryptocurrency stolen from the Bitfinex exchange. The case, which involved the seizure of a significant portion of the stolen BTC, remains one of the largest crypto-related financial recoveries in history. His early release highlights the ongoing legal and procedural discussions surrounding high-profile crypto crimes and sentencing.