Bitfinex hacker Ilya Lichtenstein credits Trump for his early release from prison

Ilya Lichtenstein, who pleaded guilty to money laundering charges linked to his role in the massive hack of cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex, appears to have been released early from prison.

In a Post Thursday evening on XLichtenstein said he got out early “thanks to President Trump’s First Step Act” (a prison reform bill passed during Trump’s first term).

“I remain committed to making a positive impact in cybersecurity as quickly as possible,” Lichtenstein said. “To the fans, thank you for everything. And to the haters, I look forward to proving you wrong.”

Ministry of Justice Lichtenstein and his wife, Heather Morgan, were arrested In 2022, it confiscated $3.6 billion worth of bitcoins stolen from the Bitfinex platform. The couple became infamous after their arrest and were featured in a Netflix documentary titled “Biggest heist ever.”

Liechtenstein eventually admitted his role in the hack and was He was sentenced to five years in prison.

It is not clear whether the Trump administration played a direct role in their release. Administrative official He told CNBC That Lichtenstein “has served significant time on his sentence and is currently on home confinement consistent with the law and Bureau of Prisons policies.”