Ilya Lichtenstein, who hacked crypto exchange Bitfinexand stole nearly 120,000 Bitcoin, said he has been freed from prison early. Lichtensteinsaid he was being released thanks to the First Step Act, the bipartisanprison-reform law signed by President Donald Trump.Lichtenstein’s wife, Heather Morgan, who also pleadedguilty as part of the bitcoin laundering scheme, celebrated her husband’sapparent release.Thanks to President Trump's First Step Act, I have been released from prison early. I remain committed to making a positive impact in cybersecurity as soon as I can.To the supporters, thank you for everything.To the haters, I look forward to proving you wrong.— Ilya Lichtenstein (@cipherstein) January 2, 2026The Russian-U.S. national who hacked crypto exchangeBitfinex and stole nearly 120,000 bitcoin said he has been freed from prisonearly thanks to the bipartisan prison-reform law signed by President DonaldTrump.Early Exit After 2024 SentencingLichtenstein, 38, had been sentenced in November2024 to five years in prison after pleading guilty to a money launderingconspiracy charge and admitting to the hack of crypto assets now valued in thebillions of dollars.But late Thursday night, a post on Lichtenstein’sofficial X account declared, “Thanks to President Trump’s First Step Act, Ihave been released from prison early.”“I remain committed to making a positive impact incybersecurity as soon as I can,” Lichtenstein’s post said. “To the supporters, thank you for everything. To thehaters, I look forward to proving you wrong.”According to CNBC, a Trump administration officialtold the publication that Lichtenstein “has served significant time on hissentence and is currently on home confinement consistent with statute andBureau of Prisons policies.”Trump Law at the CenterLichtenstein’s wife, Heather Morgan — who also pleadedguilty to helping launder the stolen funds — shared Lichtenstein’s message onher own X account, saying, “The best New Years present I could get was finallyhaving my husband home after 4 years of being apart.”Morgan’s tweet, posted two minutes afterLichtenstein’s, included a photo of the couple smiling for a selfie. Lichtenstein’s sentence included credit for time healready served in custody following his arrest in 2022, more than five yearsafter Bitfinex was hacked.This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.