Bitfinex Hacker Ilya Lichtenstein Credits Trump for Early Release from Prison

Ilya Lichtenstein, who pleaded guilty to money laundering charges related to his role in the massive hack of crypto exchange Bitfinex, has apparently been released from prison earlier than expected.

In a Thursday evening post 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 whenever possible,” Lichtenstein said. “To the fans, thank you for everything. To the haters, I can’t wait to prove you wrong.”

The Ministry of Justice arrested Lichtenstein and his wife Heather Morgan in 2022 and seized $3.6 billion in bitcoins stolen from Bitfinex. The couple became infamous after their arrest and were featured in a Netflix documentary called “The biggest heist of all time.”

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

It is unclear whether the Trump administration had a direct role in this publication. An administrative official told CNBC that Lichtenstein “has served a significant period of his sentence and is currently on home confinement, consistent with the statute and policies of the Bureau of Prisons.”