The young computer hacker, Nicholas Truglia was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his involvement in the theft of millions of crypto currencies. The federal judge sentenced him for his role in a conspiracy to hack into a blockchain consultant’s phone and steal $22 million in cryptocurrency. He has already served 12 months and agreed to return $20 million. The young man’s lawyer tried to justify his behavior. He mentioned in particular the lack of intention to harm Michael Terpin, a victim of the hacking.
Nicholas Truglia sentenced for SIM attack on Michael Terpin
The story begins in 2018 when Nicholas Truglia leads a hacking attack on Michael Terpin. The latter being the founder and CEO of Transform Group, a company that advises blockchain companies on public relations. Truglia, recruited by hackers, had the role of converting the stolen triggers into Bitcoin. This, after accessing Terpin’s crypto accounts.
The young man is now 25 years old and has been sentenced to 18 months in prison by the federal judge, reports Bloomberg News. He faced up to 63 months but has already served 12 months of his sentence. During the hearing, it was stated that Nicholas Truglia held $53 million in assets, including cryptocurrency, art and jewelry. He apologized to Terpin and agreed to pay over $20 million in restitution.
The young hacker would have autism
In 2019, Truglia pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. His case fell under the category of “evil computer geniuses”. He tricked telecommunications workers into transferring customers’ mobile numbers to hacker-controlled SIM cards.
However, the young man’s lawyer, Jeffrey Udell explains that Nicholas Truglia has been diagnosed with autism. Thus, it was difficult for him to distinguish the virtual world from the real world. He therefore struggled to feel the impact of his behavior on others, including Mr. Terpin, Udell says.
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