Federal authorities have indicted Malone Lam, 20, of Miami and Los Angeles, and Jeandiel Serrano, 21, of Los Angeles. Both are charged with a conspiracy. It allegedly involved stealing and laundering over $230 million in cryptocurrency from a victim in Washington, D. C.
Lam, a Singaporean, known online as "Anne Hathaway" and "$$$", was arrested last night. Serrano, who goes by "VersaceGod" and "@SkidStar", was also arrested. They will appear in court today in the U. S. District Courts for the Southern District of Florida and the Central District of California, respectively.
According to the indictment, Lam, Serrano, and their accomplices have been engaged in a scheme to steal and launder cryptocurrency since at least August 2024. They allegedly executed fraudulent operations to gain unauthorized access to victims' cryptocurrency accounts, siphoning off funds for their own gain. They tried to hide their identities. They used mixing services and exchanges to launder the stolen cryptocurrency. They also employed "peel chains," pass-through wallets, and VPNs.
The laundered funds were allegedly spent on lavish expenses. These include international travel, luxury cars, upscale watches, jewelry, designer handbags, and high-end rentals in Los Angeles and Miami. Notably, on August 18, 2024, Lam, Serrano, and their associates are accused of contacting a victim in D. C. and fraudulently extracting over 4,100 Bitcoin, valued at over $230 million at the time of the theft.
This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the U. S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation Washington Field Office, with crucial investigative backing from the FBI’s offices in Los Angeles and Miami.
