Democracy Dies in Darkness

Two brothers arrested for allegedly stealing $25M of crypto in 12 seconds

Prosecutors said Anton and James Peraire-Bueno, who both studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, manipulated the ethereum blockchain to steal $25M.

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May 16, 2024 at 10:31 a.m. EDT
According to the unsealed indictment, the two brothers used “the specialized skills developed during their education, as well as their expertise in cryptocurrency trading” to exploit the integrity of ethereum. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)
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Two brothers have been arrested and charged with wire fraud after federal prosecutors in Manhattan accused them of stealing around $25 million worth of cryptocurrency from traders in an elaborate online heist that prosecutors described as a “first-of-its kind” scheme.

Anton Peraire-Bueno, 24, of Boston, and James Peraire-Bueno, 28, of New York, allegedly carried out “a technologically sophisticated, cutting-edge scheme they plotted for months and executed in seconds,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement Wednesday.