The US Department of Justice this Wednesday accused two brothers of stealing 25 million dollars (about 23 million euros) in cryptocurrencies “in 12 seconds” using sophisticated and unprecedented technology against the Ethereum blockchain.
The suspects are Anton and James Perire Bueno, 24 and 28, who were arrested on Tuesday. They studied computer science and mathematics at a “prestigious university” and used their skills to “exploit the integrity of the Ethereum blockchain.” , according to a statement from the North American justice system.
The brothers, who allegedly planned the scam for months, changed the process for verifying users’ private transactions and added a new technique to the Ethereum blockchain that was never included in the criminal charges, the Justice Department said.
Southern District of New York lawyer Damian Williams emphasized that the suspects’ activities “call into question the very integrity of the blockchain.”
After obtaining the money fraudulently, the brothers refused “requests to return it” and took steps to hide their identities and cover up the robbery through shell companies and several foreign cryptocurrency exchange platforms, the North American court also heard.
The Peraire Buenos, who were arrested in Boston and New York, according to the release, were sentenced to up to 20 years in prison for each of the three crimes they are charged with involving wire fraud and money laundering.