Singaporean Citizen Pleads Guilty to Stealing $245M in Cryptocurrency
A cybercrime ring led by Malone Lam, a 22-year-old Singaporean citizen, pleaded guilty to stealing over $245 million in cryptocurrency. The scheme involved social engineering and occasionally breaking into homes to obtain sensitive information. Prosecutors say the operation ran from October 2023 through at least May 2025.
The group used aliases such as 'Anne Hathaway', '$$$', and 'King Greavy' to impersonate Google and Gemini, convincing victims to hand over their cryptocurrency wallets. Members of the crew operated from California, Connecticut, New York, Florida, and abroad, using stolen assets to fund lavish lifestyles.
The case began with a September 2024 indictment over 4,100 Bitcoin taken from a single Washington D.C. victim. Investigators later folded the theft into a wider $263 million ring, where one launderer received a 70-month prison sentence in April.