Crypto crimes: Engineer jailed, collector convicted

6.6 Security

Oct 7, 2026

Daniel Rhyne was jailed for a Bitcoin ransomware attack. Jonathan Spalletta was convicted of stealing and laundering $55M from Uranium Finance, using some funds to buy rare collectibles.

A federal court sentenced Daniel Rhyne to 32 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to orchestrating a ransomware attack against his former employer in New Jersey. Rhyne demanded 20 BTC (about $750,000) to halt further damage. In a separate case, Jonathan Spalletta was convicted by a Manhattan federal jury of computer fraud and money laundering. He stole nearly $55 million from Uranium Finance in two hacks in April 2021 by exploiting smart contract vulnerabilities, which forced the platform to shut down. Authorities seized about $31 million in stolen crypto and rare collectibles, including Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon cards valued at over $3 million. Spalletta laundered $26 million through Tornado Cash and used the proceeds to purchase high-value collectibles, such as a $500,000 "Black Lotus" Magic card and a $750,000 first-edition Pokémon base set. Sentencing for Spalletta is pending.