Ilya Lichtenstein credits Trump’s First Step Act for early release in Bitfinex hack case

Ilya Lichtenstein, who pleaded guilty to stealing and laundering nearly 120,000 bitcoin from the 2016 Bitfinex hack, was released from prison after serving only 14 months of his five-year sentence. Lichtenstein publicly credited former President Donald Trump's First Step Act, a 2018 prison and sentencing reform bill, for his early release. Lichtenstein stated he remains committed to making a positive impact in cybersecurity. His wife, Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan, who also pleaded guilty, was released in October after serving about eight months of an 18-month sentence. Authorities recovered about 94,000 BTC from the hack, and prosecutors have moved to return the recovered funds to Bitfinex. Lichtenstein's early release occurs amid criticism of Trump's use of executive clemency in other crypto-related cases, though Lichtenstein himself was not pardoned.

(Source：CoinDesk)