Member of $263 Million Scam Group Gets 70-Month US Prison Sentence

The case stemmed from an interstate social-engineering crime group whose members, since at least October 2023, used leaked data to target cryptocurrency holders. They stole assets through hacking, deception and home invasions. On August 18, 2024, the group defrauded a victim in Washington, D.C., of more than 4,100 bitcoin, then worth $263 million, and spent the proceeds on luxury homes, high-end cars and lavish purchases.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on April 24, 2026, that Evan Tangeman, a 22-year-old man from Newport Beach, California, had been sentenced in federal court in Washington, D.C., to 70 months in prison for participating in a RICO conspiracy, followed by three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty on December 8, 2025, admitting that he laundered at least $3.5 million for the group and instructed others to destroy digital devices after a co-conspirator was arrested. His plea was the ninth secured through the investigation.