{"id":"jonathan-spalletta","hidden":false,"ipfs":"QmTV5SY3gqGdWUWVnyYgypA5FjZzXUvy6oqWVbLDtpzGsH","language":"en","transactionHash":"0x5c81f08b8c65b28f9ba471ca30bbdf510f725f146e316b43d6ee1dc039a32e92","created":"2026-03-30T21:02:27.231Z","updated":"2026-04-08T16:00:23.000Z","title":"Jonathan Spalletta","summary":"Jonathan Spalletta is a Maryland cybersecurity consultant convicted in October 2026 of computer fraud and money laundering for two 2021 hacks of Uranium Finance involving over $50 million in stolen and laundered cryptocurrency.","content":"**Jonathan Spalletta** is a Maryland resident who was convicted in October 2026, following a March 2026 indictment, in connection with the 2021 exploits of Uranium Finance, a [decentralized cryptocurrency exchange](https://iq.wiki/wiki/decentralized-exchange).[\\[5\\]](#cite-id-k7p96g2l7p)​[\\[6\\]](#cite-id-z5luj27x3q)​[\\[9\\]](#cite-id-fwgkvyjs3x) He is accused of stealing over $54 million in two separate hacks by exploiting vulnerabilities in the platform's [smart contracts](https://iq.wiki/wiki/smart-contract). According to federal prosecutors, Spalletta then laundered the stolen funds and used them to purchase millions of dollars in rare collectibles, including high-value trading cards and historical memorabilia. The case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.[\\[7\\]](#cite-id-0xvn7kd6kg) Sentencing is scheduled for February 16, 2027.[\\[6\\]](#cite-id-z5luj27x3q)​[\\[8\\]](#cite-id-9b0f8sfnwl)​\n\n## Background and Indictment\n\nJonathan Spalletta was born circa 1990 and resided in Rockville, Maryland, at the time of his indictment.[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-J5f47CEju7fixjz1) He operated online under several aliases, including \"Cthulhon,\" \"Jspalletta,\" \"Jonny Boy,\" \"Nass,\" and \"SirJonathan.\"[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-J5f47CEju7fixjz1)​[\\[3\\]](#cite-id-snv1fCexhR01nXqv)​\n\nOn March 30, 2026, an indictment from the Southern District of New York was unsealed, charging Spalletta for his alleged role in the Uranium Finance exploits. He surrendered to authorities on the same day.[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-J5f47CEju7fixjz1)​[\\[2\\]](#cite-id-6WlKHOpHh6kink7j) The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff.[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-J5f47CEju7fixjz1)​\n\nThe case proceeded to trial in the Southern District of New York in late September 2026. After roughly two hours of jury deliberation, Spalletta was found guilty on both counts on October 7, 2026, following a multi-day trial before Judge Rakoff.[\\[5\\]](#cite-id-k7p96g2l7p)​[\\[8\\]](#cite-id-9b0f8sfnwl) Sentencing is scheduled for February 16, 2027.[\\[6\\]](#cite-id-z5luj27x3q)​\n\nSpalletta faces two federal charges:\n\n* One count of computer fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.\n* One count of money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.\n\nIf convicted on both counts, he faces a potential total sentence of up to 30 years.[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-J5f47CEju7fixjz1)​[\\[2\\]](#cite-id-6WlKHOpHh6kink7j)​\n\n## Uranium Finance Exploits\n\nUranium Finance was a [decentralized finance](https://iq.wiki/wiki/defi) (DeFi) project that operated as an [automated market maker](https://iq.wiki/wiki/automated-market-maker) on the [BNB Chain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/binance-smart-chain) (formerly [Binance](https://iq.wiki/wiki/binance) Smart Chain), allowing users to trade [cryptocurrencies](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) through [liquidity pools](https://iq.wiki/wiki/liquidity-pool).[\\[4\\]](#cite-id-pqeCD07UqurlLHTU)​[\\[3\\]](#cite-id-snv1fCexhR01nXqv) Prosecutors allege Spalletta carried out two separate hacks against the platform in April 2021.\n\n### First Exploit (April 2021)\n\nAccording to the indictment, the first hack occurred on or about April 8, 2021. Spalletta allegedly exploited a bug within one of Uranium Finance's [smart contracts](https://iq.wiki/wiki/smart-contract) to fraudulently withdraw \"rewards\" tokens from a [liquidity pool](https://iq.wiki/wiki/liquidity-pool), stealing approximately $1.4 million worth of [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency).[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-J5f47CEju7fixjz1)​\n\n### _Deception Campaign_\n\nIn the period surrounding the hacks, Spalletta and alleged co-conspirators are accused of orchestrating a deception campaign to mislead investors and conceal their involvement. They created a public \"War Room\" on the messaging platform Telegram, where they posed as a team dedicated to investigating the incident and recovering the stolen funds.[\\[4\\]](#cite-id-pqeCD07UqurlLHTU)​\n\nAs part of this ruse, they promoted a false narrative that a \"white-hat hacker\" had intervened to secure some of the assets. To lend credibility to this claim, they returned approximately $2 million of the stolen funds to a wallet they controlled but presented to the community as the official developer's wallet. This act was intended to build trust among the victims and create the appearance of a legitimate recovery effort being underway.[\\[4\\]](#cite-id-pqeCD07UqurlLHTU)​\n\n### _Second Exploit (April 2021)_\n\nOn or about April 28, 2021, Spalletta allegedly executed the second, much larger hack. He exploited a separate, critical error in Uranium Finance's main [smart contract](https://iq.wiki/wiki/smart-contract) that governed [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) withdrawals. This vulnerability allowed an attacker to manipulate the value of input tokens during a swap, enabling them to drain nearly all other assets held in the platform's [liquidity pools](https://iq.wiki/wiki/liquidity-pool).[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-J5f47CEju7fixjz1)​[\\[4\\]](#cite-id-pqeCD07UqurlLHTU)​\n\nThe attack targeted 26 separate [liquidity pools](https://iq.wiki/wiki/liquidity-pool), resulting in the theft of approximately $53.3 million in various [cryptocurrencies](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency), including [BNB](https://iq.wiki/wiki/binance-coin) and [BUSD](https://iq.wiki/wiki/binance-peg-busd). The massive theft created a catastrophic loss of funds, forcing the Uranium Finance exchange to cease operations permanently.[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-J5f47CEju7fixjz1)​[\\[2\\]](#cite-id-6WlKHOpHh6kink7j)​\n\n## Money Laundering and Asset Purchases\n\nFollowing the hacks, Spalletta is accused of engaging in a sophisticated scheme to launder the stolen [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency), of which he allegedly received at least $11 million personally.[\\[3\\]](#cite-id-snv1fCexhR01nXqv)​\n\nThe laundering process allegedly involved using [Tornado Cash](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tornado-cash), a [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) mixing service designed to obscure the on-chain trail of transactions. The stolen BNB and BUSD tokens were swapped for [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) (ETH), which was then converted into [Monero](https://iq.wiki/wiki/monero) (XMR), a privacy-enhancing [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency), to further conceal the funds' origins.[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-J5f47CEju7fixjz1)​[\\[3\\]](#cite-id-snv1fCexhR01nXqv)​\n\nThe laundered proceeds were then allegedly used to acquire a collection of high-value and rare items:\n\n* [**Magic**](https://iq.wiki/wiki/magic)**: The Gathering Cards:** A \"Black Lotus\" card purchased for approximately 1,512,500.\n* **Pokémon Cards:** A sealed box of first-edition \"Booster\" cards for approximately 750,000.\n* **Antiquities and Memorabilia:** An \"Eid Mar Denarius,\" an antique Roman coin commemorating the assassination of Julius Caesar, for 137,500.\n\nThese specific purchases and their values were detailed in the Department of Justice's indictment materials.[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-J5f47CEju7fixjz1)​[\\[2\\]](#cite-id-6WlKHOpHh6kink7j)​\n\n## Investigation and Asset Seizure\n\nThe investigation into the Uranium Finance hacks was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).[\\[3\\]](#cite-id-snv1fCexhR01nXqv) On February 24, 2025, U.S. law enforcement seized [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) linked to the hacks, which was valued at approximately $31 million at the time of the seizure.[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-J5f47CEju7fixjz1)​[\\[2\\]](#cite-id-6WlKHOpHh6kink7j)​\n\nIn addition to the [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency), authorities executed a search warrant at Spalletta's residence and seized numerous physical assets believed to have been purchased with the stolen funds. These seized items included the \"Black Lotus\" trading card, antique coins, and other collectibles.[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-J5f47CEju7fixjz1)​\n\n## Trial and Conviction\n\nThe trial began in late September 2026 in the Southern District of New York, with jury selection and opening statements taking place on September 28, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff.[\\[8\\]](#cite-id-9b0f8sfnwl) Over the course of the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Spalletta carried out two exploits against Uranium Finance in April 2021, laundered the resulting proceeds through the [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) mixer [Tornado Cash](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tornado-cash), and used portions of the funds to purchase rare trading cards, antique coins, and other collectibles (with total losses often described in media reports as nearly $55 million).[\\[5\\]](#cite-id-k7p96g2l7p)​[\\[6\\]](#cite-id-z5luj27x3q)​[\\[9\\]](#cite-id-fwgkvyjs3x)​\n\nDefense counsel argued that Spalletta’s conduct did not constitute traditional “hacking,” asserting that he relied on publicly accessible functions within Uranium Finance’s [smart contracts](https://iq.wiki/wiki/smart-contract) rather than using spoofed credentials or malicious code.[\\[6\\]](#cite-id-z5luj27x3q) After roughly two hours of deliberation on October 7, 2026, the jury found Spalletta guilty on both the computer fraud and money laundering counts.[\\[5\\]](#cite-id-k7p96g2l7p)​[\\[8\\]](#cite-id-9b0f8sfnwl)​[\\[9\\]](#cite-id-fwgkvyjs3x) Sentencing before Judge Rakoff is scheduled for February 16, 2027.[\\[6\\]](#cite-id-z5luj27x3q)​\n\n## Official Statements\n\nUpon the unsealing of the indictment, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, stated: \"As alleged, Jonathan Spalletta repeatedly hacked [smart contracts](https://iq.wiki/wiki/smart-contract) to steal millions of dollars worth of other people’s money for himself, and destroyed a [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) exchange in the process. Spalletta was allegedly able to do so by exploiting bugs in the exchange’s computer code. But he was not able to hide the fruits of his fraud. We will continue to unravel complex cybercrimes and hold fraudsters accountable, no matter how sophisticated the scheme.\"[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-J5f47CEju7fixjz1)​\n\nFBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith commented on the FBI's commitment to pursuing such cases: \"Bad actors in the [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) space are on notice that the FBI is committed to identifying and apprehending them regardless of their use of sophisticated trading techniques.\"[\\[3\\]](#cite-id-snv1fCexhR01nXqv)​\n\nThomas M. Fattorusso, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the IRS-CI, added: \"Spalletta's alleged actions to exploit the code of Uranium Finance is a new-age, high-tech spin on fraud... IRS Criminal Investigation will continue to lend our cyber and financial investigative expertise to cases like this one to ensure those who look for illicit profits from the digital world are brought to justice.\"[\\[4\\]](#cite-id-pqeCD07UqurlLHTU)​\n","recentActivity":"{\"items\":[{\"id\":\"6a2d351c-ccc7-46d1-8d4a-2df814450317\",\"title\":\"Jonathan Spalletta\",\"description\":\"Jonathan Spalletta is a Maryland resident indicted in March 2026 for his alleged role in the 2021 hacks of the DeFi exchange Uranium Finance, from which over $50 million was stolen and laundered through services like Tornado Cash.\",\"timestamp\":\"2026-03-30T21:18:39.168Z\",\"category\":\"people\",\"status\":{\"icon\":\"RiGlobalLine\",\"label\":\"Wiki Updated\",\"iconClassName\":\"text-green-500\"},\"user\":{\"name\":\"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889\",\"address\":\"0x1E23b34d3106F0C1c74D17f2Cd0F65cdb039b138\"},\"button\":{\"label\":\"View Summary\",\"icon\":\"RiFileTextLine\"},\"summarySections\":[{\"title\":\"Content\",\"subtitle\":\"Updated content with new internal links, revised text, and removal of a section.\",\"variant\":\"modified\",\"changeCount\":9,\"changes\":[\"In the introduction, added a link to 'decentralized cryptocurrency exchange'.\",\"In the 'Uranium Finance Exploits' section, added links for 'decentralized finance' and 'automated market maker'.\",\"Renamed the 'First Exploit and Extortion (April 2021)' subsection to 'First Exploit (April 2021)'.\",\"In the 'First Exploit (April 2021)' subsection, added a link to 'liquidity pool'.\",\"Removed a paragraph detailing an alleged extortion attempt following the first exploit. 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[[\\\\[1\\\\]]](#cite-id-J5f47CEju7fixjz1) [[\\\\[2\\\\]]](#cite-id-6WlKHOpHh6kink7j)\",\"In the 'Investigation and Asset Seizure' section, added a link to 'cryptocurrency'.\"]},{\"title\":\"Categories\",\"subtitle\":\"Removed a category from the wiki.\",\"variant\":\"removed\",\"changeCount\":1,\"changes\":[\"Removed category 'Regulations'\"]}]}]}","operator":{"id":"0x1E23b34d3106F0C1c74D17f2Cd0F65cdb039b138"},"categories":[{"id":"people","title":"People in crypto"}],"tags":[{"id":"DeFi"}],"images":[{"id":"QmbAXbQgZHU8Y5aXUVbQfaChDMBN7sfAvK2CXrkvuYFhtG","type":"image/jpeg, image/png"}],"media":[],"linkedWikis":{"founders":[],"blockchains":[],"speakers":[]},"events":[{"title":"First Uranium Finance exploit","date":"2021-04-01","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Spalletta allegedly carries out an initial Uranium Finance smart-contract exploit, extracting about $1.4 million in rewards tokens.","link":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/maryland-man-charged-defrauding-crypto-exchange-over-50-million-hacks","country":"United States","continent":"North America","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"id":"d7ab2cf6-7da0-4568-982d-b48043edf3e5"},{"title":"Second Uranium Finance exploit","date":"2021-04-01","type":"DEFAULT","description":"A second exploit drains approximately $53.3 million from 26 Uranium Finance liquidity pools, forcing the exchange to shut down.","link":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/maryland-man-charged-defrauding-crypto-exchange-over-50-million-hacks","country":"United States","continent":"North America","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"id":"e3aab369-012c-4745-b668-7683ffe5f95a"},{"title":"Seizure of $31 million in crypto assets","date":"2025-02-01","type":"DEFAULT","description":"US law enforcement seizes approximately $31 million in cryptocurrency linked to the Uranium Finance hacks.","link":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/maryland-man-charged-defrauding-crypto-exchange-over-50-million-hacks","country":"United States","continent":"North America","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"id":"3f50fc14-20f9-4f30-95ea-dc6e7332c16f"},{"title":"Indictment unsealed and arrest","date":"2026-03-01","type":"DEFAULT","description":"SDNY unseals the indictment charging Spalletta with computer fraud and money laundering in connection with the Uranium Finance hacks; he surrenders the same day.","link":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/maryland-man-charged-defrauding-crypto-exchange-over-50-million-hacks","country":"United States","continent":"North America","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"id":"300db0ba-62de-4b45-a248-d52d72c07d93"},{"title":"Start of federal trial","date":"2026-09-01","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Spalletta’s federal trial begins in the Southern District of New York before Judge Jed S. 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Rakoff is scheduled in the Uranium Finance hacks case.","link":"https://qz.com/jonathan-spalletta-cybersecurity-consultant-convicted-crypto-hack-100726","country":"United States","continent":"North America","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"id":"b8404e27-6f70-4f88-973d-e24582accb62"}],"founderWikis":[],"blockchainWikis":[],"metadata":[{"id":"references","value":"[{\"id\":\"J5f47CEju7fixjz1\",\"url\":\"https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/maryland-man-charged-defrauding-crypto-exchange-over-50-million-hacks?bm-verify=AAQAAAAN\\\\_\\\\_\\\\_\\\\_\\\\_81ICohjIbSvGxiTS32wmoBghRmtQo82nrMi1\\\\_ut2Okl5nl3LauRl\\\\_suB3nG3fxmSCI8JoT7ndWB\\\\_7uzpkXNpP0XYZl12agRvPBK98K-pXiG9K\\\\_s15Q9dvafpP346A51984qjfqgP7NQJb3bZoxgZxroPRtMKVPvyzwj0JG3lmUMayIDmvD9s0ZonglosvxTzcl689NO0jty7XbCieu8rLVFg5wHKX6mCyouW0sC5yN282Cq9WBbflaN7lQt2J8BpNP\\\\_nvWJlebD0FyLrc9GIXkGiDB34h2EwFej18DaEnVtv\\\\_Quf1rGpDS3jRKQwBRGv9l1MNaV7YlfsuNCrZflRo\\\\_7gn8GVX-vGC1Vfn0aeFQITbCSeriIqEccMY3l\\\\_8X1EOk\",\"description\":\"Maryland Man Charged With Defrauding Crypto Exchange\",\"timestamp\":1774904030044},{\"id\":\"6WlKHOpHh6kink7j\",\"url\":\"https://www.theblock.co/post/395766/maryland-man-charged-54-million-uranium-finance-hacks-faces-30-years\",\"description\":\"Maryland man charged in $54 million Uranium Finance hacks faces 30 years\",\"timestamp\":1774904030044},{\"id\":\"snv1fCexhR01nXqv\",\"url\":\"https://www.ainvest.com/news/uranium-finance-hack-54m-outflow-31m-recovery-11m-laundering-2603/\",\"description\":\"Uranium Finance Hack: $54M Outflow\",\"timestamp\":1774904030044},{\"id\":\"pqeCD07UqurlLHTU\",\"url\":\"https://www.binance.com/en/square/post/03-30-2026-federal-indictment-jonathan-spalletta-charged-in-uranium-finance-hacks-307246349193041\",\"description\":\"Binance Square post on Spalletta indictment\",\"timestamp\":1774904030044},{\"id\":\"k7p96g2l7p\",\"url\":\"https://www.forth.news/lists/doj/CfoLJn29vsTyFch8WBnH7\",\"description\":\"Jonathan Spalletta Convicted For Defrauding Crypto Exchange Of Over $50 Million In Hacks\",\"timestamp\":1791508231363},{\"id\":\"z5luj27x3q\",\"url\":\"https://qz.com/jonathan-spalletta-cybersecurity-consultant-convicted-crypto-hack-100726\",\"description\":\"Jonathan Spalletta convicted in $55 million crypto hack\",\"timestamp\":1791508231363},{\"id\":\"0xvn7kd6kg\",\"url\":\"https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/maryland-man-charged-defrauding-crypto-exchange-over-50-million-hacks?bm-verify=AAQAAAAN____81ICohjIbSvGxiTS32wmoBghRmtQo82nrMi1_ut2Okl5nl3LauRl_suB3nG3fxmSCI8JoT7ndWB_7uzpkXNpP0XYZl12agRvPBK98K-pXiG9K_s15Q9dvafpP346A51984qjfqgP7NQJb3bZoxgZxroPRtMKVPvyzwj0JG3lmUMayIDmvD9s0ZonglosvxTzcl689NO0jty7XbCieu8rLVFg5wHKX6mCyouW0sC5yN282Cq9WBbflaN7lQt2J8BpNP_nvWJlebD0FyLrc9GIXkGiDB34h2EwFej18DaEnVtv_Quf1rGpDS3jRKQwBRGv9l1MNaV7YlfsuNCrZflRo_7gn8GVX-vGC1Vfn0aeFQITbCSeriIqEccMY3l_8X1EOk\",\"description\":\"Maryland Man Charged With Defrauding Crypto Exchange\",\"timestamp\":1791508231363},{\"id\":\"9b0f8sfnwl\",\"url\":\"https://www.innercitypress.com/sdny229erakoffspallettaicp100726.html\",\"description\":\"Spalletta Convicted of Uranium Finance Hack After Two Hour Jury Deliberation in SDNY\",\"timestamp\":1791508231363},{\"id\":\"fwgkvyjs3x\",\"url\":\"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-07/pokemon-collector-found-guilty-in-55-million-crypto-hack-case\",\"description\":\"Pokemon Collector Found Guilty in $55 Million Crypto Hack Case\",\"timestamp\":1791508372500}]"},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"QmTV5SY3gqGdWUWVnyYgypA5FjZzXUvy6oqWVbLDtpzGsH"},{"id":"commit-message","value":"Update Jonathan Spalletta summary and timeline; expand (+191w)"},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"QmTV5SY3gqGdWUWVnyYgypA5FjZzXUvy6oqWVbLDtpzGsH"}],"user":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"author":{"id":"0x1E23b34d3106F0C1c74D17f2Cd0F65cdb039b138"},"views":340}