US EditionBitfinex Hacker Ilya Lichtenstein Freed Early Thanks To Trump's Prison Reform Law— Wife Calls It 'Best New Years Present'
Lichtenstein credits the bipartisan First Step Act for early release after serving significant time for laundering billions in stolen bitcoin from the 2016 Bitfinex hack.
- On Thursday, Ilya Lichtenstein wrote `Thanks to President Trump's First Step Act, I have been released from prison early`, with a White House official confirming he is on home confinement.
- Passed in 2018, the First Step Act was signed by President Donald Trump in December and allows non-violent offenders to earn time credits for home confinement through a risk-and-needs assessment system.
- Ilya Lichtenstein pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in November 2024 after converting about 25,000 BTC, most of which the U.S. government recovered.
- Ilya Lichtenstein has not been pardoned, while President Donald Trump issued crypto pardons including Ross Ulbricht and Changpeng Zhao; Heather Morgan, rapper 'Razzlekhan', posted a selfie saying, `Why hello Razzlers, I have missed you`.
- Prosecutors moved to return recovered bitcoin to Bitfinex in January 2025 after authorities recovered about 94,000 BTC, and the Justice Department placed the laundered crypto's value at approximately $4.5 billion.
42 Articles
42 Articles
TechCrunch
Bitfinex hacker Ilya Lichtenstein credits Trump for early release from prison
Ilya Lichtenstein, who pled guilty to money laundering charges tied to his role in the massive hack of crypto exchange Bitfinex, has apparently been released early from prison.
Bitfinex Hacker Ilya Lichtenstein Freed Early Thanks To Trump's Prison Reform Law— Wife Calls It 'Best New Years Present'
Convicted Bitfinex hacker Ilya Lichtenstein said a prison reform law signed by President Donald Trump led to his early release after serving part of a five-year sentence
Bitfinex hacker Ilya Lichtenstein, who stole $10.8 billion worth of Bitcoin, walks free, credits Trump for early release - Tech Startups
One of the most notorious figures in crypto crime has been released from prison years early. Ilya Lichtenstein, the Russian-U.S. national who hacked crypto exchange Bitfinex and helped steal nearly 120,000 bitcoin, said he was released early under federal prison […] The post Bitfinex hacker Ilya Lichtenstein, who stole $10.8 billion worth of Bitcoin, walks free, credits Trump for early release first appeared on Tech Startups.
Trump gets praise from Russian fraudster after early release from prison
Russian-U.S. national Ilya Lichtenstein, who hacked a crypto exchange and stole nearly 120,000 bitcoin, claims he has been freed after only a year into his five-year sentence. Lichtenstein posted on X late Thursday night, saying, “Thanks to President Trump’s First Step Act, I have been released from prison early.”The admitted fraudster pleaded guilty to a money laundering conspiracy charge and admitted to hacking crypto assets now valued in the …
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