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SIM Swapper Nicholas Truglia: The $20 Million Theft and His Resentencing

Nicholas Truglia was first sentenced to 18 months for his role in a 2018 SIM-swap cryptocurrency theft. A 2025 report says he was later resentenced to 12 years for failing to pay restitution.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read
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Nicholas Truglia, a Florida man involved in a 2018 SIM-swap scheme that stole more than $20 million in cryptocurrency, was initially sentenced to 18 months in prison. A July 2025 report by Decrypt says a federal judge later resentenced him to 12 years after he failed to pay restitution. The later sentence is reported by a secondary source; the original sentence and theft details were announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

Who was Nicholas Truglia, and what did he do?

Truglia participated with other actors in a January 2018 scheme to take control of a victim’s phone number and access online accounts. The U.S. Department of Justice says the group used that access to reach a cryptocurrency wallet holding more than $20 million. Truglia made an account available to receive the diverted cryptocurrency, which was converted to Bitcoin and distributed among participants. The government said he kept approximately $673,000. (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Dec. 1, 2022)

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SecurityWeek identified the victim as cryptocurrency investor Michael Terpin. It reported that Terpin’s civil complaint valued three million tokens stolen in 2018 at $23.8 million. That complaint valuation is distinct from the DOJ’s description of the cryptocurrency wallet as containing more than $20 million. (SecurityWeek, Dec. 5, 2022)

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How did the SIM-swap attack work?

A SIM swap is an unauthorized transfer of a person’s mobile number to a SIM card or device controlled by someone else. In this case, the DOJ said the attackers linked the victim’s number to a SIM they controlled, so the victim’s calls and text messages went to their device instead.

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Control of a phone number can expose more than calls and messages. If an online service sends a password-reset link or login verification code by text, an attacker receiving those messages may be able to use them to take over the account. The scheme used that access to reach the victim’s cryptocurrency wallet.

What sentence did Truglia receive in 2022?

On Dec. 1, 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced that Truglia had been sentenced to:

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  • 18 months in prison;
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The sentence announcement quoted U.S. Attorney Damian Williams: “Nicholas Truglia and his associates stole a staggering amount of cryptocurrency from the victim through a complex SIM swap scheme. Nevertheless, today’s sentencing goes to show that no matter how sophisticated the crime is, this Office will continue to successfully prosecute those who choose to defraud others.” (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Dec. 1, 2022)

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Was Truglia later resentenced?

Yes, according to a July 11, 2025 report by Decrypt: it said a New York federal judge resentenced Truglia to 12 years after he failed to pay the restitution ordered in the 2022 case. This later development is reported by Decrypt; the DOJ announcement cited above documents the original sentence, not the 2025 resentencing. (Decrypt, July 11, 2025)

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Why the case matters for personal-finance security

A phone number can act as a recovery route into email, financial, and cryptocurrency accounts. If a criminal takes control of the number, text-message verification may not protect those accounts as intended. This case shows how a weakness in mobile-number security can become a route to assets held elsewhere.

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  • Where an account offers an authentication method that does not rely on SMS, consider using it instead of text-message codes.
  • Ask your mobile carrier what protections it offers against unauthorized number transfers, and secure the carrier account with a strong, unique password.
  • Review important accounts’ recovery settings so a phone number is not the only way to regain access.

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