Ilya Lichtenstein, who pleaded guilty to laundering nearly 120,000 Bitcoin (BTC) stolen from Bitfinex, was released from prison Thursday after serving approximately 14 months.
The 35-year-old thanked President Donald Trump's First Step Act for his early release.
He was sentenced to five years in November 2024 after admitting to the 2016 hack.
What Happened
Lichtenstein announced his release Thursday on X, writing that he "remain[s] committed to making a positive impact in cybersecurity as soon as I can."
The First Step Act, signed into law by Trump in 2018, allows federal prisoners to earn early release through rehabilitation programs.
Inmates can earn 10 to 15 days of credit for every 30 days of successful programming.
Lichtenstein and his wife Heather "Razzlekhan" Morgan were arrested in February 2022.
Authorities seized approximately $3.6 billion in cryptocurrency at the time - then the largest financial seizure in Department of Justice history.
The Bitfinex hack in August 2016 resulted in the theft of 119,754 BTC, worth approximately $71 million at the time.
Morgan received an 18-month sentence and was released in October after serving roughly eight months.
Why It Matters
The release marks the latest in a series of Trump administration actions affecting high-profile cryptocurrency criminals.
In October, Trump pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, who had pleaded guilty to Bank Secrecy Act violations.
Trump also pardoned BitMEX co-founders Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, and Samuel Reed in March.
All four had pleaded guilty in 2022 to Bank Secrecy Act violations for failing to implement anti-money-laundering controls.
Lichtenstein previously testified against Roman Sterlingov, alleged operator of crypto mixer Bitcoin Fog.
Sterlingov was convicted and sentenced to 12.5 years in prison in March 2024.
Bitcoin was trading at $93,420 as of Thursday, down 2.8% in 24 hours.