Brooklyn Resident Charged in Alleged $16 Million Cryptocurrency Fraud Scheme
A 23-year-old Brooklyn man living with his father has been arrested for orchestrating a $16 million cryptocurrency heist that targeted around 100 victims across the country, prosecutors said Friday.
Ronald Spektor, who allegedly ran the scam from his father’s home in Sheepshead Bay, used phishing tactics to trick victims into transferring their cryptocurrency to digital wallets he controlled, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. Among those exploited were police officers and single mothers who were convinced their funds were in danger of being stolen by hackers.
“This was no different than someone robbing them, quite literally robbing them for everything they had. It’s heartbreaking,” Gonzalez said at a press conference.
Spektor allegedly posed as a representative from crypto exchange company Coinbase while contacting victims from states including Virginia, California, and Pennsylvania. Prosecutors said he falsely warned the victims that their crypto holdings were at risk and told them to move their digital assets to alternative wallets—wallets that Spektor secretly controlled.
Once the cryptocurrency was transferred, Spektor allegedly emptied the wallets, laundered the funds, and spent millions on gambling. He then boasted about the crimes through an online persona known as @lolimfeelingevil, according to prosecutors.
“He allegedly tricked many unsuspecting people to transfer their life savings to wallets he controlled, blew their hard-earned money gambling online, and then bragged about his successful thefts,” Gonzalez said in a press release.
Authorities say Spektor created a Telegram channel called “Blockchain enemies,” where he discussed details of the scams and even admitted to squandering $6 million of the stolen cryptocurrency through gambling.
Spektor was arrested on December 3 and has since pleaded not guilty to charges of grand larceny and first-degree money laundering.
During a hearing on Friday, Assistant District Attorney Alona Katz revealed that prosecutors were seeking stricter bail conditions after discovering evidence that Spektor had been planning to flee to Mexico, Canada, or the country of Georgia.
“He took concrete steps to execute that, including sending $600,000 of crypto to an individual in Georgia, the country,” Katz said.
The alleged escape plan was uncovered after authorities obtained a new cellphone belonging to Spektor through a search warrant. Messages recovered from the device indicated his intentions to leave the country, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors also noted that before his arrest, Spektor had been “crisscrossing” the United States using Greyhound buses, only returning to Brooklyn before he was ultimately taken into custody.
Spektor’s father, whose name was not disclosed in court, is currently considered an “active suspect” in the ongoing investigation, prosecutors said, citing indications of “unexplained wealth” potentially linked to the scam.
Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun granted the request to raise Spektor’s bond to $2.5 million, up from the previous $1 million bond or $500,000 cash alternative.
Spektor is scheduled to appear in court again on January 6, 2026.