Overview
- Lichtenstein said on X that he was released early under the 2018 First Step Act and signaled plans to work in cybersecurity.
- Federal records and a U.S. official confirm he is under home confinement, with public BOP data listing an official release date in early 2026.
- He received a five-year sentence in November 2024 after pleading guilty to money laundering; his wife, Heather Morgan, got 18 months and was released after about eight months.
- The 2016 Bitfinex theft moved 119,754 bitcoin, and authorities later recovered roughly 94,000 bitcoin in what officials described as a landmark seizure.
- Prosecutors filed in January 2025 to return recovered assets to Bitfinex, and investigators tied the laundering to mixers, crypto conversions, and Walmart gift cards redeemed under Morgan’s account.