Bitfinex Hack Mastermind Released Early From Prison, Credits 2018 Trump Law – Details

The mastermind behind the Bitfinex hack, one of the outstanding circumstances in crypto safety historical past, has been launched early from jail after serving 14 months, underneath a 2018 regulation signed by US President Donald Trump.

Bitfinex Hack Mastermind Receives Early Release

On Friday, Ilya Lichtenstein, the mastermind behind the 2016 hack that stole over 120,000 Bitcoin (BTC) from crypto trade Bitfinex, introduced that he had been launched from jail a yr after receiving a five-year sentence.

On X, Lichtenstein thanked a regulation signed by President Trump throughout his first administration for his launch. “Thanks to President Trump’s First Step Act, I’ve been launched from jail early,” the publish said.

Notably, Trump signed the bipartisan First Step Act on December 21, 2018, aiming to enhance legal justice outcomes and cut back the scale of the federal jail inhabitants. The regulation included a sequence of reforms, together with one to ascertain a “threat and wishes evaluation system” that gives some inmates rehabilitative programming and the chance to be launched early into dwelling confinement.

According to CNBC, A Trump administration official stated on January 2 that the mastermind behind the Bitfinex hack “has served vital time on his sentence and is at the moment on dwelling confinement in keeping with statute and Bureau of Prisons insurance policies.”

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) beforehand declared that Lichtenstein used superior hacking methods and instruments to entry Bitfinex’s community. He then transferred 119,574 Bitcoin to certainly one of his crypto wallets via greater than 2,000 transactions.

At the time, the stolen funds had been valued at round $71 million. However, its worth has elevated exponentially up to now decade, being value practically $11 billion at present costs. During his sentencing listening to, he expressed regret for utilizing his skills on legal actions “as a substitute of a constructive contribution to society.”

“I stay dedicated to creating a constructive impression in cybersecurity as quickly as I can,” Lichtenstein affirmed on his Friday announcement, thanking his supporters for the assistance and vowing to show “the haters” incorrect.

Crypto Heist Figures Reunite Under Trump’s Law

Lichtenstein’s spouse, Heather Morgan, reacted to the information on-line, declaring that being reunited at dwelling along with her husband after 4 years was “the most effective New Year’s current” she may get.

Morgan, a rapper identified on-line as “Razzlekhan,” entered jail in February 2025 however was launched early from jail after eight months underneath the First Step Act. In late October, she posted a video on X, sharing the information and thanking President Trump for her launch.

“It is superb to be again, and I wish to give a shout out to Papa Trump for making my 18-month sentence shorter,” she stated. However, it seems that the US President was circuitously concerned within the determination.

As reported by Bitcoinist, the self-titled “Crocodile of Wall Street” was sentenced to 18 months in jail on November 18, 2024, for her position within the Bitfinex heist. Despite not being concerned within the hack, Morgan assisted her husband in laundering the stolen funds through the use of “quite a few refined laundering methods” to disguise them.

Notably, they used faux identities to create on-line accounts, deposited the stolen Bitcoin in a number of darknet markets and crypto exchanges to withdraw the funds, transformed BTC to different cryptocurrencies, and deposited a part of the funds into crypto mixers. The couple seemingly managed to launder 21% of the overall funds stolen from Bitfinex.

At the time, prosecutors argued that Morgan was “a prepared participant and bears full accountability for her actions.” Nonetheless, they famous that she was “a lower-level participant,” which resulted in her decreased sentence.