Bitfinex Hack Convict Ilya Lichtenstein Released Early Under U.S. First Step Act

Ilya Lichtenstein, previously jailed for money laundering linked to the 2016 Bitfinex hack, has been released early under the U.S. First Step Act, according to the report. He announced his release in a post on X, noting he is now on home confinement, with the inmate locator showing a scheduled release date of 9 February 2026.

Lichtenstein and his wife, Heather Rhiannon “Razzlekhan” Morgan, pleaded guilty to the Bitfinex breach in 2023, after their February 2022 arrest, with the hack enabling more than 2,000 fraudulent withdrawals and the transfer of 119,754 bitcoin. Law enforcement recovered approximately 94,000 bitcoin, valued at about $3.6 billion in 2022, in one of the largest seizures in U.S. history.

The First Step Act aims to reduce federal prison populations via reforms including a risk and needs assessment system; a Trump administration official told CNBC that Lichtenstein “served significant time on his sentence and is currently on home confinement consistent with statute and Bureau of Prisons policies.”