Financial and Business News

“Thanks to Trump’s Law”: $4B Bitcoin Hacker Credits Regulations for Early Prison Release

Friday, 02/01/2026 | 19:44 GMT by Jared Kirui
  • Ilya Lichtenstein was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to a money laundering conspiracy.
  • He admitted responsibility for the Bitfinex hack, which involved the theft of approximately 120,000 Bitcoins.
Bitcoin hacker (shutterstock)

Ilya Lichtenstein, who hacked crypto exchange Bitfinex and stole nearly 120,000 Bitcoin, said he has been freed from prison early. His wife, Heather Morgan, who also pleaded guilty as part of the Bitcoin laundering scheme, celebrated her husband’s apparent release.

The Russian-U.S. national said he has been freed from prison early thanks to the bipartisan prison-reform law signed by Trump.

Early Exit After 2024 Sentencing

Lichtenstein, 38, was sentenced in November 2024 to five years in prison after pleading guilty to a money laundering conspiracy charge and admitting to the hack of crypto assets now valued in billions of dollars.

But late Thursday night, a post on his official X account declared, “Thanks to President Trump’s 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. To the supporters, thank you for everything. To the haters, I look forward to proving you wrong.”

Keep reading: Hackers Drain Hundreds of Crypto Wallets, Targeting Accounts Under $2,000: Report

CNBC reported that a Trump administration official said Lichtenstein has served a substantial portion of his sentence and is now on home confinement in line with federal law and Bureau of Prisons guidelines.

Trump Law at the Center

Morgan, who also pleaded guilty to helping launder the stolen funds, shared Lichtenstein’s message on her own X account, saying, “The best New Years present I could get was finally having my husband home after 4 years of being apart.”

Morgan’s tweet, posted two minutes after Lichtenstein’s, included a photo of the couple smiling for a selfie. Lichtenstein’s sentence included credit for time he already served in custody following his arrest in 2022, more than five years after Bitfinex was hacked.

In addition to the massive crypto heist, Lichtenstein was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering and faced three years of supervised release after completing the prison term.

Ilya Lichtenstein, who hacked crypto exchange Bitfinex and stole nearly 120,000 Bitcoin, said he has been freed from prison early. His wife, Heather Morgan, who also pleaded guilty as part of the Bitcoin laundering scheme, celebrated her husband’s apparent release.

The Russian-U.S. national said he has been freed from prison early thanks to the bipartisan prison-reform law signed by Trump.

Early Exit After 2024 Sentencing

Lichtenstein, 38, was sentenced in November 2024 to five years in prison after pleading guilty to a money laundering conspiracy charge and admitting to the hack of crypto assets now valued in billions of dollars.

But late Thursday night, a post on his official X account declared, “Thanks to President Trump’s 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. To the supporters, thank you for everything. To the haters, I look forward to proving you wrong.”

Keep reading: Hackers Drain Hundreds of Crypto Wallets, Targeting Accounts Under $2,000: Report

CNBC reported that a Trump administration official said Lichtenstein has served a substantial portion of his sentence and is now on home confinement in line with federal law and Bureau of Prisons guidelines.

Trump Law at the Center

Morgan, who also pleaded guilty to helping launder the stolen funds, shared Lichtenstein’s message on her own X account, saying, “The best New Years present I could get was finally having my husband home after 4 years of being apart.”

Morgan’s tweet, posted two minutes after Lichtenstein’s, included a photo of the couple smiling for a selfie. Lichtenstein’s sentence included credit for time he already served in custody following his arrest in 2022, more than five years after Bitfinex was hacked.

In addition to the massive crypto heist, Lichtenstein was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering and faced three years of supervised release after completing the prison term.

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About the Author: Jared Kirui
Jared Kirui
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Jared is an experienced financial journalist passionate about all things forex and CFDs.

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