Ilya Lichtenstein, the hacker behind one of many largest Bitcoin thefts on file, has been launched from jail simply over a yr after receiving a five-year sentence, due to a legal justice reform regulation signed throughout former President Donald Trump’s first time period.
“Because of President Trump’s First Step Act, I’ve been launched from jail early,” Lichtenstein stated in a Friday publish on X. “I stay dedicated to creating a optimistic influence in cybersecurity as quickly as I can,” he added.
The First Step Act, handed in 2018, expanded eligibility for sentence reductions by earned time credit and different rehabilitation measures. Lichtenstein was sentenced in November 2024 after pleading responsible to a cash laundering conspiracy tied to the 2016 hack of Bitfinex, by which almost 120,000 Bitcoin (BTC) had been stolen.
Lichtenstein’s spouse, Heather Morgan, additionally acknowledged the information, posting a photograph of the couple and calling it the “greatest New 12 months’s current” after years of separation. Morgan, who carried out underneath the identify “Razzlekhan” and was charged for serving to launder the stolen funds, acquired an 18-month sentenceand introduced her personal early launch in October.
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Bitfinex hack duo arrested in 2022
Lichtenstein and Morgan had been arrested in 2022, years after the hack, following a sweeping federal investigation that finally led to the seizure of a good portion of the stolen Bitcoin. Their case later turned the topic of a Netflix docuseries and an upcoming movie.
After being sentenced to 5 years in jail, Lichtenstein confessed to hacking Bitfinex in 2016 and laundering “1000’s of Bitcoin” however instructed he wished to shoulder everything of the blame quite than his spouse. “[My wife] was on no account concerned within the hack itself. She didn’t even find out about it for years,” he stated.
Although there have been many victims of the Bitfinex hack, the trade often is the solely get together that qualifies for reimbursement, in line with an October 2024 court docket submitting. The US authorities had requested victims of the 2016 hack to submit influence statements by November.
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Trump to overview case of Samourai pockets co-founder
Lichtenstein’s early launch comes as Trump has stated he’ll overview the case of Samourai Pockets co-founder Keonne Rodriguez, signaling he could think about a possible pardon. Talking at a White Home press convention final month, Trump stated he was conscious of the case and would “check out it,” whereas noting he was not but aware of the small print.
In January final yr and shortly after taking workplace, Trump granted Ross Ulbricht, the founding father of the defunct darknet market Silk Street, a presidential pardon on his life sentence. He additionally pardoned Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao in October.
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