- Lichtenstein was launched early from his five-year sentence underneath federal sentencing laws.
- In 2018, President Trump signed the bipartisan First Step Act to reform sentences and cut back recidivism.
- President Trump pardoned two cryptocurrency leaders in 2025 amid regulatory reforms.
Russian-American Ilya Lichtenstein, who was beforehand sentenced for hacking Bitfinex, thanked President Donald Trump for his early launch. The 38-year-old hacker was beforehand sentenced to 5 years in jail, however was launched early underneath federal sentencing guidelines.
Lichtenstein Advantages from the 2018 Monetary Companies Company Act
On Day 2 of 2026, Mr. Lichtenstein expressed his gratitude to President Trump for enacting the First Step Act (FSA) in 2018. As a result of the FSA was handed by way of a bipartisan effort, it contributed to Mr. Lichtenstein’s early launch.
“Due to President Trump’s First Step Act, I used to be launched early, and I stay dedicated to creating a optimistic impression on cybersecurity as rapidly as potential,” Lichtenstein stated.
Trump administration officers stated Lichtenstein served a significant time frame in jail. As such, Lichtenstein is at present underneath home arrest in accordance with statute and Bureau of Prisons coverage.
He benefited from his dedication to cooperate with the federal government to return funds stolen from Bitfinex. Moreover, the FSA awards prisoners long-term factors to encourage early launch and cut back fines. As such, the U.S. authorities is lowering jail crowding and its related challenges.
Justice or injustice?
Lichtenstein’s spouse, Heather Morgan, beforehand served an 18-month jail sentence for serving to launder 120,000 stolen Bitcoins. She celebrated Liechtenstein’s early liberation amid blended reactions from the crypto neighborhood.
Specifically, the US authorities seized roughly 94,000 BTC and a court docket ordered the return of the stolen funds to Bitfinex. Nevertheless, roughly 20% of the stolen funds have been by no means recovered as a result of the duo used subtle laundering strategies to avoid fashionable blockchain evaluation instruments equivalent to Chainalies.
As such, the early launch of Lichtenstein and his spouse sparked blended reactions from the crypto neighborhood as they’re suspected of holding probably tons of of tens of millions of {dollars} price of stolen belongings. Their early launch solid doubt on the simply motives of the hackers who prompted the hurt by way of the stolen funds.
Within the title of President Trump?
Final 12 months, Morgan posted a video thanking President Trump for his early launch. Nevertheless, White Home officers later acknowledged that Morgan’s sentence discount was not influenced by administrative authorities.
As a substitute, her early launch was ostensibly a routine process by the Bureau of Prisons. Morgan’s early launch additionally distanced President Trump from commuting her sentence as a result of she was not linked to the Monetary Companies Company like her husband was.
In 2025, President Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht, founding father of the defunct darknet market Silk Highway, and Binance co-founder Chao Changpeng (CZ). President Trump stated that the administration of President Joe Biden regulated cryptocurrencies by way of legislation enforcement, which in flip inspired abroad funding.
Associated: Bitfinex hacker sentenced to five years in jail, prosecutors purpose to curb digital forex crimes
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