Crypto scammer in 'geniuses’ hack gets 18 months in prison

His sentence is for a 2018 hack attack on Michael Terpin, the founder and chief executive officer of Transform Group, which advises blockchain businesses on public relations. The hackers recruited Truglia to convert the stolen Triggers, a digital token, into Bitcoin after they accessed Terpin’s cryptocurrency accounts, defence attorney Jeffrey Udell said in court Wednesday. — Prison photo created by rawpixel.com - www.freepik.com

By day Nicholas Truglia led a lonely life from his luxury Manhattan apartment, playing video games and working out. By night he went clubbing and boasted of having more money than anyone else in the room, according to court filings.

Now Truglia, 25, is to serve 18 months in prison after a federal judge on Thursday sentenced him for his role in a scheme to hack a blockchain consultant’s phone and stealing US$22mil (RM97mil) in cryptocurrency. Truglia has already served 12 months of the term. He was facing 51 to 63 months under sentencing guidelines.