Trading Card Collector Convicted for $50M Crypto Heist
Jonathan Spalletta, a Maryland-based cybersecurity consultant, was convicted by a New York jury of computer fraud and money laundering for stealing over $50 million from the defunct crypto platform Uranium Finance. The trial revealed that Spalletta exploited smart contract vulnerabilities in 2021 to drain liquidity pools, causing the platform to collapse. He subsequently laundered the stolen funds through complex transactions and spent millions on rare Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering cards, antique Roman coins, and a piece of fabric from the Wright brothers' airplane. Authorities seized approximately $31 million in cryptocurrency in 2025. Spalletta faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for February 2027.