A 23-year-old Brooklyn resident has been charged with defrauding nearly 100 cryptocurrency investors out of about $16 million through an elaborate online phishing operation. Ronald Spektor allegedly posed as a Coinbase representative to trick victims into transferring their assets to wallets he controlled. He was arraigned on a 31-count indictment and pleaded not guilty.
Ronald Spektor, a 23-year-old from Brooklyn's Sheepshead Bay neighborhood, faces serious charges for running a phishing and social engineering scam that targeted cryptocurrency users. Operating under the online handle @lolimfeelingevil, Spektor is accused of accessing around 100 Coinbase accounts between April 2023 and December 2024. He reportedly contacted victims by pretending to be a Coinbase support agent, warning them of a supposed hacker threat and urging them to move their funds to a supposedly secure new wallet.
To enhance the deception, Spektor hired bots to send alarming text messages to victims, mimicking official alerts. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez explained the scheme: "What the victims didn't know is that the text comes from the defendant and that he created the wallet. So, he knows the seed phrase, and so as soon as the money is transferred, he's just waiting for it."
Prosecutors detailed how Spektor managed the stolen funds using 12 digital wallets and maintained 29 documents containing tens of thousands of email addresses and passwords. From a single cryptocurrency address, he allegedly executed 29,000 transfers. He also recruited online accomplices to expand the operation. A notable incident occurred in October 2024, when Spektor reportedly defrauded a California resident of $6 million in crypto.
Spektor's attorney, Todd Spodek, defended his client, stating: "Obviously, we're reviewing everything, but these are all user-initiated actions. There are controls in place, so there's no allegations that Mr. Spektor himself is moving anyone's cryptocurrency." Spodek added: "We're disputing everything, and we'll deal with them in court at the appropriate time."
Spektor was arraigned on Friday on charges including first-degree grand larceny, first-degree money laundering, and scheme to defraud. Bail was set at $500,000 cash, but the judge rejected funds from Spektor's father due to unclear sourcing. Through "Operation Phish Net," authorities have recovered about $500,000, including $105,000 in cash and $400,000 in cryptocurrency, with efforts ongoing to retrieve more.
