The mastermind behind the infamous 2016 Bitfinex security breach, Ilya Lichtenstein, has been released ahead of schedule. His early release came thanks to sentence reductions granted under the First Step Act, landmark criminal justice reform legislation signed by President Trump in 2018. Lichtenstein had been sentenced to five years in prison last November after pleading guilty to laundering approximately 120,000 Bitcoin—worth roughly $4.5 billion at the time of his sentencing. The case marked one of cryptocurrency's most significant law enforcement victories, demonstrating authorities' growing capability to track and prosecute large-scale digital asset theft across years and multiple jurisdictions. His sentence reduction reflects the evolving approach to cryptocurrency-related crimes within the U.S. justice system.