⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️Attention ⚡️⚡️⚡️
⚡️⚡️⚡️Attention ⚡️⚡️⚡️
⚡️⚡️⚡️Attention ⚡️⚡️⚡️
Two American brothers defrauded virtual currency worth $25 million in 12 seconds
On the 15th, federal prosecutors accused a pair of brothers who graduated from prestigious universities with computer-related majors of defrauding virtual currency worth about $25 million in just 12 seconds. The U.S. Department of Justice said that this is the first time such a case has been criminally charged in the United States.
The brothers are named Anton Pereire-Bino and James Pereire-Bino, and they are charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to launder money. The younger brother Anton is 24 years old and graduated from MIT with a degree in computer science in February this year. James is 28 years old and obtained a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT in 2021. His undergraduate majors include mathematics and computer science.
According to the prosecutors, the two targeted three traders on the Ethereum blockchain in December 2022, played around with the blockchain verification program, and used software code vulnerabilities to release "bait". In April 2023, they "fraudulently obtained access to pending private transactions" in 12 seconds to "change certain transactions and obtain the victim's cryptocurrency", with a total value of about $25 million. Later, facing one of the victims and representatives of Ethereum, the brothers refused to return the funds and laundered money through some shell companies to hide the illegal gains.
Prosecutor Damian Williams said the brothers' criminal behavior "has called into question the integrity of the blockchain (transactions) that is famous."
This month, Anton was arrested in Boston and James was arrested in New York City. If convicted, each person could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison for each charge.
According to prosecutors, IRS staff played a key role in cracking this "unprecedented wire fraud and money laundering case."
