Brooklyn Man Who Bragged About $16M Coinbase Scam Gets Up to 12 Years

A Brooklyn man who investigators say impersonated Coinbase support staff to steal nearly $16 million from about 100 customers was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison. Ronald Spektor, 23, pleaded guilty to a 31-count indictment on Sept. 2 that included charges of first-degree money laundering, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. The sentence was imposed by Justice Danny Chun over prosecutors’ objection; authorities had sought a seven- to 21-year term. Prosecutors said Spektor contacted users by phone and email, warning them their accounts were under threat from a purported hacker and instructing them to transfer assets to wallets they believed were under their exclusive control. Those wallets were actually accessible to Spektor, who then emptied them. Total losses reported to the office amounted to $15,944,000, with some individual victims losing $1 million or more. Investigators traced the flow of stolen funds through multiple exchanges and so-called cash-out points where assets were converted into other tokens, fiat, and gift cards. Large sums were reportedly used on gambling services and online storefronts. Authorities linked the scheme to Spektor through blockchain analysis, transaction records, digital forensics, material seized under search warrants, and his home IP address, which connected to several wallets tied to stolen funds. Messages and accounts recovered during the investigation showed Spektor boasted about the thefts on Telegram under the handle @lolimfeelingevil and ran a channel called “Blockchain enemies.” He also recruited others to perform social-engineering tactics and admitted in messages to losing about $6 million to crypto gambling. After allegations surfaced online, he reportedly disposed of a hardware wallet, bought a replacement, moved around the country, discussed leaving the U.S., and transferred $600,000 in crypto to an associate in Georgia before returning to Brooklyn and being arrested. At arrest, authorities seized cash and crypto; the forfeiture order covers assets worth more than half a million dollars, and millions of the stolen proceeds remain unaccounted for, officials said.