Billion-dollar Bitcoin hacker gets early prison release thanks to Trump
03 Jan 2026

Ilya Lichtenstein, the notorious hacker who stole billions in Bitcoin, has been released from prison after serving just over a year of his five-year sentence.

The early release was made possible by the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform bill passed during Donald Trump's first US presidential term.

Lichtenstein announced his release on social media platform X, thanking Trump for his early release and expressing his commitment to contributing positively to cybersecurity.

Early release confirmed by Trump administration official
Official confirmation

A Trump administration official confirmed Lichtenstein's early release to CNBC, stating that he "has served significant time on his sentence and is currently on home confinement consistent with statute and Bureau of Prisons policies."

The First Step Act allows for expanded options for early release, including earned time credits.

This was the legislation under which Lichtenstein was granted an early release from his prison sentence.

Lichtenstein's wife also released early
Related developments

Lichtenstein's wife, Heather Morgan, was also charged in the same scheme and sentenced to 18 months in prison.

She too was released early and announced her release from a bathtub on social media.

The couple's story has been turned into a Netflix docuseries and an upcoming film.

Their arrests for the 2016 Bitfinex hack weren't done until 2022.