In a significant development related to the FTX cryptocurrency exchange debacle, three individuals have been indicted for their roles in a sophisticated identity theft conspiracy culminating in the theft of $400 million from FTX on the day it declared bankruptcy in November 2022. https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/02/three-people-indicted-in-400-million-ftx-hack-conspiracy.html The accused, Robert Powell, Carter Rohn, and Emily Hernandez, face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, marking a crucial turn in a saga that has gripped the crypto world.
Powell, 26, described as the operation's mastermind, along with his cohorts, allegedly executed a series of SIM-card swaps to gain unauthorized access to FTX's funds by bypassing multifactor authentication safeguards. This operation was part of a broader scheme that spanned from March 2021 to April of the following year, involving the impersonation of over 50 victims across more than 15 states to loot money and data from various accounts.
While Powell has been released on bond and Hernandez also secured release, Rohn remains in custody pending a detention hearing. The trio's indictment, though not explicitly naming FTX, details the hack in a manner consistent with the known facts of the FTX theft, confirmed by sources familiar with the case.
