By Georgia Fearn | Updated on Oct 07, 2026 at 04:50 PM
A cybersecurity consultant was found guilty of stealing nearly $55 million in cryptocurrency, some of which was spent to acquire rare Pokemon cards and other collectibles.
Jonathan Spalletta was convicted by a New York jury Wednesday after just over two hours of deliberation. Prosecutors accused Spalletta of carrying out two attacks in 2021 against Uranium Finance, a cryptocurrency exchange that shut down after he drained about $55 million from the platform.
Spalletta faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on a money-laundering count relating to his use of crypto mixers like Tornado Cash. US District Judge Jed Rakoff set his sentencing for Feb. 16.
The case drew attention in part because of what prosecutors said Spalletta later bought. Authorities seized more than $3 million worth of rare Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering cards from his Maryland home, along with about $31 million in cryptocurrency.
Spalletta also spent more than $600,000 on an ancient Roman coin commemorating the assassination of Julius Caesar and paid $137,000 or a piece of the original Wright brothers Flyer that was carried to the moon by Neil Armstrong.
Defense lawyers argued that Spalletta didn’t hack the exchange because he used publicly available functions built into its smart contracts rather than spoofed credentials or malicious code.
The case is US v. Spalletta, 26-cr-118, US District Court, Southern District of New York.