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Hudson Cryptothief Who Swapped Victim's SIM Card To Steal $500G Goes To Fed Pen

A 20-year-old Hudson County man must spend nearly two years in federal prison for his role in stealing more than $500,000 worth of cryptocurrency by swapping a SIM card from the victim’s phone.

Ebrahem Adeeb and his conspirators swiped the subscriber identity module from their victim’s phone – replacing it with another – and then loaded it into a mobile device that they controlled, federal authorities said.

Ebrahem Adeeb and his conspirators swiped the subscriber identity module from their victim’s phone – replacing it with another – and then loaded it into a mobile device that they controlled, federal authorities said.

Photo Credit: FBI.gov / Dylan Calluy on Unsplash

Ebrahem Adeeb of Bayonne must serve out just about all of the plea-bargained 21-month sentence because there’s no parole in the federal prison system.

His deal with the government also requires him to pay $504,418 in restitution to his victims, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said following the sentencing on Tuesday, May 23.

Adeeb and his conspirators swiped the subscriber identity module from their unsuspecting victim’s phone – replacing it with another – and then loaded it into a mobile device that they controlled, the U.S. attorney said.

They then accessed the victim’s accounts, changed the password ton one on a digital currency exchange platform and began making crypto transfers, he said.

Before they were done, they’d stolen more than $500,000 worth, an FBI complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Newark says.

Adeeb took the deal rather than face the potential consequences of a trial. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in exchange for leniency.

Once he’s served his time, Adeeb must remain under supervised release for three years.

Sellinger credited the FBI’s Newark Field Office for the investigation leading to the plea and sentence, secured by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kogan of his Cybercrime Unit in Newark.

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