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Man Who Spent Millions on Rare Pokémon and Magic Cards Found Guilty of Stealing Over $50 Million in Crypto
Gizmodo • • business
Key Points:
- Jonathan Spalletta, a 36-year-old cybersecurity consultant from Maryland, was convicted of computer fraud and money laundering for stealing over $50 million in cryptocurrency from the now-defunct Uranium Finance platform.
- Spalletta exploited vulnerabilities in Uranium Finance’s smart contracts in two hacks during April 2021, initially stealing about $1.4 million and later $53.3 million, leading to the platform's collapse.
- He laundered the stolen funds through complex transactions and used some of the money to purchase rare trading cards, including Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon collectibles, as well as historic artifacts like a Wright brothers’ airplane fabric and an ancient Roman coin.
- Authorities seized approximately $31 million in cryptocurrency from Spalletta in February 2025, and he faces up to 30 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for next year.
- U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald emphasized that Spalletta’s crimes caused significant financial losses to real victims and destroyed an entire cryptocurrency platform.
