Ilya Lichtenstein Leaves U.S. Prison Early After Bitfinex Hack Involving Over $10 Billion in Bitcoin

On 2 January 2026, Ilya Lichtenstein, who admitted to stealing nearly 120,000 Bitcoin from Bitfinex in 2016, was released early from a U.S. federal prison under the First Step Act. He had received a five-year sentence in November 2024 but served roughly one year, reigniting arguments over how the American justice system handles large-scale crypto crimes. His release, along with clemency for figures like Ross Ulbricht and Changpeng Zhao, has sharpened divisions between critics and supporters of sentencing reform.