Indian man jailed for $20 million fraud via fake Coinbase website
Date: 2024-10-21 Author: Henry Casey Categories: IN WORLD
Court documents show that from June 2021 to December 2023, Tomar and his accomplices organized the theft of cryptocurrency from hundreds of users through a fake version of the Coinbase Pro platform. They took possession of assets worth $20 million.
Tomar used the money he obtained illegally to buy luxury goods and services. His purchases included watches from luxury brands Rolex and Audemars Piguet, as well as prestigious cars Lamborghini and Porsche. He also traveled extensively, visiting cities such as London, Dubai, and Bangkok.
Tomar was arrested in December 2023 when he arrived in the United States to visit his family. He was detained at the Atlanta airport, where he arrived on a tourist visa. In April 2024, he pleaded guilty to creating a fake Coinbase website and stealing $9.5 million in cryptocurrency.
For reference, in October 2024, the US Attorney's Office requested a similar five-year sentence for another hacker, Ilya Lichtenstein, who participated in the hack of the Bitfinex crypto exchange.
In addition, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) previously brought charges against Vai Pham, a Vietnamese citizen living in the US. She is accused of fraud with the Saitama Inu and Robo Inu meme tokens.
