Brooklyn man sentenced to 12 years in prison over $16M Coinbase phishing scam
Summary
Ronald Spektor, 23, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to a year-long phishing and social engineering scheme that tricked nearly 100 Coinbase users into transferring about $16 million in cryptocurrency to accounts he controlled. Prosecutors said he laundered the funds through exchanges, converted them into other assets, and cashed out. He must forfeit more than $500,000 in cash, crypto, and property and pay nearly $16 million in restitution. The case highlights rising crypto scams that manipulate individual users rather than exploit technical infrastructure.
