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Uranium Finance Hacker Convicted in $50M Crypto Theft Case After Buying Pokémon and Magic Cards

A federal jury convicted Jonathan Spalletta over two Uranium Finance hacks. The DOJ says he spent proceeds on rare Pokémon and Magic collectibles; no sentence is reported in its announcement.
From TheFinanceBase Team2 min to read
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Jonathan Spalletta, known online as “Cthulhon” and “Jspalletta,” was convicted by a federal jury of computer fraud and money laundering over two April 2021 hacks of cryptocurrency exchange Uranium Finance, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on October 7, 2026. Prosecutors said he used some of the proceeds to buy rare Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering collectibles. The conviction is not a sentence: the DOJ announcement gives statutory maximums but does not report a punishment imposed by the judge.

What happened in the Uranium Finance case?

Uranium Finance let users deposit and exchange cryptocurrencies through liquidity pools. According to the DOJ’s October 7, 2026 conviction announcement, Spalletta carried out two hacks in April 2021. The release describes the April 8 incident as a deceptive sequence of transactions with the exchange’s smart contract that withdrew more cryptocurrency “rewards” than he was authorized to receive.

The announcement says he later laundered proceeds through a complex series of cryptocurrency transactions, including Tornado Cash. It does not explain the mechanics of the second hack in detail, so the two incidents should not be treated as technically identical based on this summary alone.

What did the Uranium Finance hacker buy with the stolen crypto?

The DOJ says Spalletta used laundered proceeds to buy collectibles. The approximate amounts below are purchase values attributed to the DOJ announcement, not independent appraisals or current market prices.

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These are rare, vintage items; the figures do not describe modern Pokémon or Magic card products. The DOJ release does not establish what the collectibles might sell for now.

How much was seized?

The DOJ says law enforcement seized cryptocurrency worth approximately $31 million at the time of seizure under a judicially authorized warrant on February 24, 2025. That is a historical value tied to the seizure date, not a statement of the cryptocurrency’s present value or the amount recovered overall.

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Has the Uranium Finance hacker been sentenced?

The October 7, 2026 DOJ announcement reports a jury conviction, not a sentence. It lists statutory maximum prison terms of 10 years for the computer-fraud count and 20 years for the money-laundering count, while cautioning that the judge will determine any sentence. Those figures are maximums prescribed by law, not the punishment imposed in this case. The announcement does not provide a sentencing date or later court developments.

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What the conviction establishes—and what the announcement does not

The jury convicted Spalletta on the computer-fraud and money-laundering counts described by the DOJ. The release summarizes the government’s account of the hacks, laundering, purchases and seizure; it is not a trial transcript and does not provide a full technical account of both incidents or the defense case. It also does not establish the current custody or value of the seized cryptocurrency or the collectibles.

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