Uranium Finance theft case: consultant convicted over nearly $55 million crypto heist, could face 20 years

A New York jury has found cybersecurity consultant Jonathan Spalletta guilty of stealing nearly $55 million from crypto trading platform Uranium Finance, according to Gold财经. Prosecutors said Spalletta carried out two attacks in 2021, after which the platform ceased operations. The verdict came after more than two hours of jury deliberations. Spalletta now faces up to 20 years in prison on money-laundering charges tied to his alleged use of crypto mixing services, including Tornado Cash. U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff set sentencing for February 16. Authorities said they seized more than $3 million in rare Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering cards and roughly $31 million in crypto assets from Spalletta's Maryland residence. Prosecutors added that he spent over $600,000 on an ancient Roman coin commemorating Caesar's assassination and $137,000 on an original component from the Wright brothers' first aircraft, an artifact previously taken to the moon by Armstrong. Spalletta's attorney argued he only used publicly available smart-contract functions, without forging credentials or deploying malicious code, and therefore did not commit hacking.