Written by Vince Quill, Staff Writer. Reviewed by Robert Lakin, Staff Editor. US DOJ sentences man to 70 months in prison for role in $263M scam group
The group spent tens of millions of dollars on luxury items and real estate, using funds stolen from crypto users in social engineering scams.
Evan Tangeman, a 22-year-old resident of California, was sentenced on Friday to 70 months in prison for his role in a criminal enterprise that stole about $263 million in cryptocurrencies from victims through social engineering scams and burglary.
Tangeman pleaded guilty to the charges in December 2025 and admitted to helping members of the criminal organization launder at least $3.5 million in illicit funds, according to the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) announcement.
He also received three years of supervised release in addition to his prison sentence for his role in the scheme, the DOJ said.
“This criminal enterprise was built on greed so brazen it borders on the cartoonish. They stole millions, spent it on half-million-dollar nightclub tabs, Lamborghinis, and Rolexes,” Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia (DC), said. She added:
“Evan Tangeman didn't just launder the money that fueled that lifestyle. When his co-conspirators were arrested, he moved to destroy the evidence. That is consciousness of guilt, and this office and the court have treated that accordingly."
Source: US Attorney for Washington DC
The sentence comes as losses from crypto scams and hacks reached $482 million in Q1 2026 amid an uptick in criminal organizations targeting crypto users through online social engineering scams and violent physical attacks.
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France grapples with rise in violent wrench attacks
In 2026, France experienced a sharp rise in wrench attacks, which are violent physical assaults and burglaries targeting crypto users, according to Pavel Durov, co-founder of the Telegram messaging platform.
There have been 41 kidnappings of French crypto holders in the first quarter of 2026 alone, Durov said in an X post on Friday.
He attributed the rise in violent theft to tax data leaks that expose the holdings and identities of crypto holders in the country and accused French officials of selling this tax data to organized criminals.
Source: Pavel Durov
Speaking at Paris Blockchain Week in April, Jean-Didier Berger, minister delegate to the interior minister of France, said the government would roll out “preventative measures” to mitigate the number of wrench attacks in the country.
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