MIAMI – FBI agents arrested a South Florida man after accusing him of conspiring to steal and launder more than $230 million in cryptocurrency.
Malone Lam, 20, a Singaporean national who splits time between Miami and Los Angeles, appeared in federal court on Thursday, federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C. announced.
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So too did an alleged co-conspirator, Jeandiel Serrano, 21, of Los Angeles.
Lam, who uses the online handles “Anne Hathaway” and “$$$”, and Serrano, who uses “VersaceGod” and “@SkidStar,” were arrested Wednesday, authorities said.
In a news release, prosecutors said Lam, Serrano and others “would fraudulently gain access to victim cryptocurrency accounts and then transfer victim funds into their possession.”
“They laundered the proceeds, including by moving the funds through various mixers and exchanges using ‘peel chains,’ pass-through wallets, and virtual private networks (VPNs) to mask their true identities,” the release states. “Lam and Serrano then allegedly spent the laundered cryptocurrency proceeds on international travel, nightclubs, luxury automobiles, watches, jewelry, designer handbags and rental homes in Los Angeles and Miami.”
Authorities said the conspirators contacted a victim in Washington D.C. on Aug. 18 and fraudulently obtained 4,100 Bitcoin, worth more than $230 million at the time.
Court documents for the case weren’t immediately available Thursday afternoon.
Lam had been booked into the Broward County jail Wednesday and received a mug shot, but, as of Thursday afternoon, was no longer listed in Broward Sheriff’s Office online jail records.
He wasn’t listed in federal jail records, either.
Miami is widely considered to be a hub for the cryptocurrency industry.