Sept. 20 (UPI) — Two men are set to appear in federal court Friday after being arrested on charges of stealing and laundering $230 million in cryptocurrency from a victim in Washington, D.C., authorities announced.
Malone Lam, 20, a citizen of Singapore living in Miami and Los Angeles, and Jeandiel Serrano, 21, of Los Angeles, were arrested Thursday and scheduled for initial court appearances in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and the Central District of California, respectively, the Department of Justice said in a statement.
According to an indictment filed Thursday, Lam, Serrano and others have conspired since last month to carry out cryptocurrency thefts and to launder the stolen crypto through exchanges and mixing services.
Prosecutors allege Lam goes by the online monikers “Anne Hathaway” and “$$$” while Serrano uses “VersaceGod” and “@SkidStar.” According to the indictment, they fraudulently gained access to the victim’s cryptocurrency accounts and then transferred its funds into their possession, using “peel chains,” pass-through wallets and virtual private networks (VPNs) to mask their true identities.
Authorities claim Lam and Serrano have flaunted their ill-gotten gains, spending the funds on “international travel, nightclubs, luxury automobiles, watches, jewelry, designer handbags, and rental homes in Los Angeles and Miami.”
The indictment accuses them and co-conspirators of contacting the Washington D.C. victim on Aug. 18 and subsequently obtaining over 4,100 Bitcoin, worth more than $230 million at the time.
The investigation was spearheaded by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
On Wednesday, FBI agents raided an $11 million, 10-bedroom home in Miami in connection with the probe, the Miami Herald reported.
Neighbors told the newspaper the mansion is a Airbnb rental that is often rented out to visiting musicians and celebrities and is sometimes used a film set.
