According to Odaily Odaily, U.S. prosecutors have charged a Maryland man, Jonathan Spalletta, with multiple attacks on the decentralized exchange Uranium Finance starting in 2021, involving approximately $54 million. He has now been formally indicted.
According to the indictment released by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, Spalletta faces two charges: computer fraud and money laundering, which carry a maximum sentence of 10 and 20 years in prison, respectively, for a total maximum sentence of 30 years.
Prosecutors allege that Spalletta manipulated the smart contract trading process to create false profits, thereby illegally withdrawing more funds than it was entitled to, ultimately causing severe damage to the exchange and even its collapse.
Furthermore, the investigation also indicated that he used some of the illicit proceeds to purchase collectibles, including a piece of Wright brothers airplane fabric that was taken to the moon by astronaut Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 mission.
The prosecution emphasized that crypto assets are also protected by law, and that "the idea that 'cryptocurrencies are just virtual assets' cannot be used as an excuse for theft."
