The drama! Just got wind of the shocking news that Ilya Lichtenstein, the infamous Bitfinex hacker, has been granted early release from prison. Yeah, you read that right – the dude who was sentenced to five years behind bars for his role in the massive hack of crypto exchange Bitfinex is now a free man.
According to a recent post on X, Lichtenstein credits his early release to the First Step Act, a jail reform bill signed into law by President Trump during his first term. Talk about a wild comeback!
Lichtenstein’s story is a wild ride. He and his wife, Heather Morgan, were featured in a Netflix documentary called “Biggest Heist Ever” and became notorious for their alleged involvement in the hack. The couple was accused of siphoning off a whopping $3.6 billion worth of bitcoins from Bitfinex. Lichtenstein eventually pled guilty to his role in the scheme and was sentenced to five years in the slammer.
Now, it seems like Lichtenstein is trying to turn over a new leaf. In his post, he’s committed to making a positive impact in the cybersecurity community as soon as possible. He also threw some shade at his detractors, stating that he’s looking forward to proving them wrong.
But here’s the thing – the Department of Justice has confirmed that Lichtenstein has been released from prison, but the exact circumstances surrounding his early release are still unclear. An administration official told CNBC that Lichtenstein has served his time and is currently on home confinement, but it’s not explicitly stated whether Trump’s administration played a direct role in his release.
So, what do you guys think? Should Lichtenstein be allowed to start fresh, or did he get off too easy? Let me know in the comments!
