Brooklyn Man Sentenced to Prison for $16M Crypto Scam
A Brooklyn man who stole nearly $16 million in cryptocurrency from Coinbase users across the country has been sentenced to prison. Ronald Spektor, 23, of Sheepshead Bay, was found guilty of posing as a Coinbase representative and convincing victims to transfer their digital assets to what they believed were secure wallets.
Spektor targeted about 100 Coinbase users nationwide while operating under the handle @lolimfeelingevil. He told them their accounts were at risk of being hacked, then convinced them to send him their cryptocurrency, which he would drain and launder.
The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office said some victims lost $1 million or more, and Spektor openly bragged about his scam on apps like Discord and Telegram.
Spektor pleaded guilty to the charges in a 31-count indictment on September 2 in exchange for the promised sentence. He was also ordered to forfeit over $500,000 worth of cash, cryptocurrency, and personal property, as well as make nearly $16 million in restitution.