Washington — Two brothers from New York and Boston were taken into federal custody on Tuesday for a novel crime of stealing about $25 million in virtual currency from a commonly used blockchain, according to a newly unsealed indictment. He was accused by prosecutors of devising the plan.
Anton Perer-Bueno and James Perer-Bueno were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Investigators accused them of spending months planning the theft within the Ethereum blockchain, deceiving victims and setting up shell companies to hide their illicit profits.
According to the indictment, the two studied mathematics and computer science at “one of the most prestigious universities in the country,” which prosecutors said gave them the unique skills to carry out the first attempt of its kind. Ta. In just a few seconds. James Peraire-Bueno is listed as a 2021 graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the MIT Registrar reports that Anton Peraire-Bueno will receive a bachelor's degree in computer science and engineering in February 2024, and James Peraire = Confirmed that Mr. Bueno received a bachelor's degree in mathematics. , received a master's degree in Computer Science and Aerospace Engineering in June 2019 and a master's degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics in June 2021.
The brothers reportedly began laying the groundwork in December 2022, engaging in what law enforcement authorities call a “sting” operation that targeted three specific victim traders on the digital Ethereum platform. They are specifically accused of abusing “validators” on the blockchain, a critical component of transaction integrity and security.
“In doing so, they gained unauthorized access to pending private transactions and used that access to modify certain transactions and obtain the victims' virtual currency,” prosecutors alleged in court documents. .
Investigators say the defendants' conspiracy took months to plan but took just 12 seconds to execute, collecting about $25 million from unwitting victims.
Perer Buenos is accused of laundering money through a shell company between April and June last year. According to prosecutors, the two men repeatedly refused requests from the victims, their lawyers, and Ethereum representatives to return the cryptocurrencies.
The two were arrested on Tuesday and are scheduled to make their first appearances in federal courts in New York and Boston on Wednesday.
“As virtual currency markets continue to evolve, the Department of Justice will continue to root out fraud, assist victims, and restore trust in these markets,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement.
An attorney for the brothers could not immediately be identified.
