$ 230 million stolen in crypto: FBI arrested duo in LA!

Von Sophie Müller

In a spectacular case of crypto crime, the FBI has arrested two men who are suspected of stealing a huge sum of $ 230 million in cryptocurrencies. The arrests took place in the USA and concerned Malone Lam, 20, from Miami, and Jeandiel Serrano, 21, from Los Angeles.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the district of Columbia confirmed the arrests and clarified that the two defendants are confronted with theft and money laundering. According to the indictment, the suspects managed to gain unjustified access to the victim's cryptocurrency accounts in order to then transfer the funds to their name. To blur their traces, they used complicated methods such as mixers, so-called peel chains, passage walls and virtual private networks (VPNS).

Details of the crime

A particularly revealing aspect of the case is the use of the reserved funds. Lam and Serrano are said to have used the stolen money for an extravagant lifestyle, including international trips, stays in night clubs, luxury cars, watches, jewelry and designer handbags. The indictment emphasizes that rental apartments in the glamorous cities of Los Angeles and Miami were also financed by the accused.

How the theft came about remains unclear, since further details about the victim and the exact procedure for obtaining cryptocurrency have not yet been published. It was only found that Lam and Serrano made contact with the victim on August 18, 2024, which enabled them to steal 4,100 bitcoins. At this point, this amount had a total value of $ 230 million.

The investigation into this complex case has not yet been completed, and it should be noted that the charges only represent accusations. The two suspects have not yet been spoken guilty. In view of the increasing number of crypto hacks and theft in the past few months, this case once again shows the worrying development in the world of digital currencies.

The FBI recently warned the crypto companies in the USA of the associated threats, especially by North Korean hackers who are supported by the state. Last week, a crypto tour from Singapore, Bingx, reported on an attempted hacker attack, whereby the security companies appreciate the possible losses to around $ 27 million. Bingx itself has not yet confirmed this number.