Brooklyn Man Sentenced for Stealing Nearly $16M in Coinbase Cryptocurrency

A Brooklyn man has been sentenced to prison for stealing nearly $16 million in cryptocurrency from Coinbase users. Ronald Spektor, 23, of Sheepshead Bay, targeted around 100 Coinbase users nationwide while operating under the handle @lolimfeelingevil.

Prosecutors say Spektor posed as a Coinbase representative and told victims that their accounts were at risk of being hacked. He convinced them to transfer their cryptocurrency to what they believed were secure wallets under his control.

However, these wallets were accessible to Spektor, who drained the accounts and laundered the funds. Some victims lost over $1 million, while Spektor openly bragged about his scamming heist on apps like Discord and Telegram.

Spektor pleaded guilty to the charges in a 31-count indictment and was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison. He was also ordered to forfeit cash, cryptocurrency, and personal property worth over $500,000 and make nearly $16 million in restitution.