- Buy Crypto
- Markets
Futures- Spot
- Copy Trade
- Earn
- More
Cyber Gang Spent $4M on Nightclubs, $9M on Exotic Cars in $263M Crypto Fraud, DOJ Says
By: cryptonews|2025/05/16 14:00:13
0
Share
U.S. authorities have charged 12 additional defendants in a sprawling RICO conspiracy involving over $263 million in cryptocurrency thefts, money laundering, and coordinated home invasions, according to a superseding indictment unsealed this week. DOJ: Crypto Crime Ring Laundered $263M via Mixers, Peel Chains, Hermès Birkin Bags, and Stuffed Animal Cash Shipments The indictment, announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, FBI Special Agent Sean Ryan, and IRS-CI Executive Special Agent Kareem A. Carter, accuses the group—composed of U.S. and foreign nationals—of crimes including racketeering, wire fraud, and obstruction of justice. The alleged enterprise, active from October 2023 to March 2025, originated from connections made on online gaming platforms. Members reportedly held specialized roles, including hackers who allegedly stole cryptocurrency databases, “callers” who used social engineering to trick victims, and burglars who physically stole hardware wallets, law enforcement officials claim. Prosecutors further insist the group laundered proceeds through cryptocurrency mixers, “peel chains,” and shell companies, funneling funds into luxury rentals, private jets, and 28 exotic cars worth up to $3.8 million each. The indictment details lavish spending, including $4 million at nightclubs, $500,000 in watches, and Hermès Birkin bags delivered to associates. One August 2024 theft allegedly netted 4,100 bitcoin ($230 million at the time, now worth $423 million) from a Washington, D.C., victim. In another instance, members broke into a New Mexico home to steal a hardware wallet while monitoring the victim’s location via iCloud. Two suspects remain at large in Dubai, while others were arrested in California this week. The DOJ alleges co-conspirators continued operations post-arrest, including using stuffed toys to mail bulk cash. The case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Rosenberg, involves collaboration between the FBI’s Washington, Los Angeles, and Miami offices. If convicted, defendants face sentences based on federal guidelines.
You may also like
WEEX Trade to Earn: Turn Futures Trading into Instant WXT Rewards
Join WEEX Trade to Earn and earn instant WXT rebates on every futures trade. Boost rewards with referrals and tasks. Trade more, earn more on WEEX exchange.
Trading Everything, Never Closing: RWA Perpetual Contracts (Part 1)
RWA perpetual contracts are trying to disrupt the traditional financial markets of costly zero-day options (0DTE) and opaque contracts for difference (CFD) with transparent on-chain "linear leverage."
Morning News | Nscale completes $2 billion Series C funding; 20 millionth Bitcoin has been mined; Polymarket will launch S&P 500 binary options products
Overview of Important Market Events on March 9
Dialogue between Vitalik and Suji: Why have decentralized social products failed?
Analyzing the dilemma of decentralized social networks should start from "solving social problems" rather than "overlaying crypto finance," exploring new opportunities for the integration of AI and prediction markets.
Trading Never Sleeps: On-Chain, Crude Oil, and Leverage
The prices in this window are determined by emotions, amplified by leverage, driven by the narrative of war—rather than by the supply and demand of crude oil.
On-chain Yield Panorama: The Evolution from Interest-bearing Stablecoins to Crypto Credit Products
In a bear market, investors tend to prefer more stable returns and lower underlying risks, which has driven the growth of interest-bearing stablecoins.
RootData announced the integration with OpenClaw, and these gameplay features have gone viral
In the era of AI Agents, the value of data lies not in "ownership," but in "connection."
Key Market Intelligence on March 9th, how much did you miss out on?
1. On-chain Funds: $221M flowed into Hyperliquid last week; $186.7M flowed out of Arbitrum
2. Largest Price Swings: $DENT, $UAI
3. Top News: Middle East Conflict Sparks Stagflation Trading, Global Stock Markets Shed Around $6 Trillion
a16z: After AI Superpowers, Where to Next for Humanity?
Cryptocurrency will become the cornerstone of trust in this new era.
Why Does Oil Go Up When Bitcoin Goes Down?
The Impact of Middle Eastern Oil on Bitcoin Price
Decoding 112,000 Polymarket Addresses: The Top 1% Making Money Are Doing These Five Things
Those loss-making addresses are not stupid, just lacking discipline — too many markets involved, overexposure, excessive FOMO, and hardly any post-mortem.
AAVE founder issues a warning: DeFi must never become the exit liquidity for Wall Street private credit
In order for RWA to succeed in DeFi and for DeFi to achieve meaningful scale expansion through real-world assets, the entire industry needs to thoughtfully and cautiously build opportunities that connect TradFi (traditional finance) and on-chain markets.
How To Create A Frequency So Strong It Makes Reality Obey You
The first-ever WEEX AI Hackathon has concluded, with 10 winners emerging from over 200 global teams. Beyond its $1.8 million prize pool, the event marked a milestone—proving that the future of AI trading belongs to accessible, AI-powered innovation.
The cryptocurrency industry has waited for five and a half years, and what they got is half a ticket
The hand that opens this door is not the rule, but the direction of the wind.
The trend of Ethena reveals what information about the cryptocurrency market
Through Ethena's data insights: the collective hedging and self-protection of VCs and project parties is leading the crypto market into an extreme risk-averse moment of "complete balance between bulls and bears" for the first time in history.
I've been in the crypto industry for five and a half years, and all I got was half a ticket.
The hand that opens this door is not a rule, but a wind.
Crude Oil Surges 25%, Hyperliquid Unfolds On-Chain Showdown
Hyperliquid users now need to keep an eye on the latest developments in the Iran Hormuz Strait, while a DeFi OG is using on-chain derivatives to hedge against war risk.
$20 Billion Valuation, Is Kalshi Engaging in an Arms Race with Polymarket?
US-Iran Conflict + World Cup + Eve of Elections, Predicts Market Key Data Points to Reach New All-Time Highs in 2026.
WEEX Trade to Earn: Turn Futures Trading into Instant WXT Rewards
Join WEEX Trade to Earn and earn instant WXT rebates on every futures trade. Boost rewards with referrals and tasks. Trade more, earn more on WEEX exchange.
Trading Everything, Never Closing: RWA Perpetual Contracts (Part 1)
RWA perpetual contracts are trying to disrupt the traditional financial markets of costly zero-day options (0DTE) and opaque contracts for difference (CFD) with transparent on-chain "linear leverage."
Morning News | Nscale completes $2 billion Series C funding; 20 millionth Bitcoin has been mined; Polymarket will launch S&P 500 binary options products
Overview of Important Market Events on March 9
Dialogue between Vitalik and Suji: Why have decentralized social products failed?
Analyzing the dilemma of decentralized social networks should start from "solving social problems" rather than "overlaying crypto finance," exploring new opportunities for the integration of AI and prediction markets.
Trading Never Sleeps: On-Chain, Crude Oil, and Leverage
The prices in this window are determined by emotions, amplified by leverage, driven by the narrative of war—rather than by the supply and demand of crude oil.
On-chain Yield Panorama: The Evolution from Interest-bearing Stablecoins to Crypto Credit Products
In a bear market, investors tend to prefer more stable returns and lower underlying risks, which has driven the growth of interest-bearing stablecoins.
App