Brooklyn man gets 4-12 years for $15.9M fake Coinbase scam

A Brooklyn resident was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison for impersonating a Coinbase representative for about a year and tricking roughly 100 users into moving crypto to wallets he controlled. Losses totaled $15,944,000, with over $500,000 forfeited and nearly $16 million in restitution ordered.

• Losses reached $15,944,000 across about 100 victims
• Prosecutors sought 7-21 years; plea deal gave 4-12
• Forfeiture topped $500,000 plus nearly $16M restitution
• Investigators traced wallets via blockchain analysis and home IP