Indian national sentenced for alleged $20M crypto scheme in North Carolina, abroad

CHARLOTTE ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) — A Republic of India citizen has been sentenced in connection with a cryptocurrency scheme, according to United States Attorney Dena J. King.

Chirag Tomar, 31, was accused of stealing over $20 million through fake or “spoofed” websites mimicking Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange website. Tomar was sentenced to five years in prison and two years of supervised release.

According to court documents, Tomar and his co-conspirators stole from hundreds of people in western North Carolina, across the United States and internationally from as far back as June 2021. They did this by creating a website URL, “CoinbasePro.Com,” similar to Coinbase’s legitimate website for their Pro version, “Pro.Coinbase.Com.”

Once Coinbase users entered their login information into the fake website, authentication was needed. Some victims were tricked into providing their logging and authentication information of real accounts. Other victims were tricked into allowing the schemers remote access to computers and accounts.

The schemers are also accused of posing as Coinbase customer service to steal account information. Once they could access the accounts, the schemers reportedly transferred money to their own accounts.

According to court documents, in February 2022, an NC victim tried to log into his account on the fake website. He was told his account was locked and told to contact a fake Coinbase customer service number. Over $240,000 worth of cryptocurrency was stolen from this victim after he was tricked into giving his two-factor authentication information and the schemers got into his accounts.

Officials say Tomar would transfer the money out of the victim’s account and into accounts he and his co-conspirators had access to. He would then convert it into other types of cryptocurrency, move the money around and eventually convert it into cash to fund a “lavish lifestyle.”

Tomar allegedly bought Audemars Piguet and other types of expensive watches, as well as Lamborghinis and Porsches. He would also reportedly use the money to travel including stops in Dubai and Thailand.

In December 2023, Tomar was arrested at the Atlanta airport. In May 2024, he pled guilty to wire fraud conspiracy. He is currently in custody awaiting transfer to prison.

U.S. Secret Service and FBI Nashville were both part of the investigation.

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