A jury convicted Jonathan Spalletta, also known as “Cthulhon” and “Jspalletta,” of computer fraud and money laundering over two April 2021 hacks of decentralized exchange Uranium Finance, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced on October 7, 2026. Prosecutors said he spent some of the proceeds on rare Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering collectibles. The conviction is not a sentence: the announcement reports statutory maximums but no punishment imposed by the judge.
What was the Uranium Finance case about?
Uranium Finance let users deposit and exchange cryptocurrencies through liquidity pools. According to the U.S. Department of Justice announcement, Spalletta carried out two hacks in April 2021. The jury convicted him of computer-fraud and money-laundering counts after a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff.
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The April 8 hack
The DOJ says the April 8 attack used a deceptive sequence of transactions with Uranium Finance’s smart contract to withdraw more cryptocurrency “rewards” than Spalletta was authorized to receive. The announcement also says he later moved proceeds through a complex series of cryptocurrency transactions, including Tornado Cash.
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The conviction announcement identifies a second April 2021 hack but does not detail its technical mechanics. It would be inaccurate to assume the second incident used the same method as the April 8 attack based on that announcement alone.
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What did the Uranium Finance hacker buy?
The DOJ says Spalletta used laundered proceeds to buy collectibles. It reported the following approximate purchase amounts; these are figures in the government announcement, not independent appraisals or current market prices.
| Collectible | Approximate amount reported by DOJ |
|---|---|
| Black Lotus Magic: The Gathering card | $500,000 |
| 18 sealed Alpha Booster Magic: The Gathering packs | $1,512,500 |
| Sealed first-edition Pokémon booster box | $257,500 |
| First-edition complete Pokémon base set | $750,000 |
| Eid Mar denarius, an antique coin commemorating Julius Caesar’s assassination | $601,545 |
| Fabric from the Wright brothers’ original airplane, later taken to the Moon by Neil Armstrong | $137,500 |
The reported purchases were rare, vintage collectibles, not a guide to what ordinary modern Pokémon or Magic card products cost.
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How much did the Black Lotus cost?
The DOJ announcement puts the Black Lotus card purchase at approximately $500,000. That is the amount attributed to the purchase in the October 7, 2026 announcement, not a current valuation of the card.
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Yes. 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. The amount describes the cryptocurrency’s value on that date; it should not be treated as its present value.
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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 maximum statutory prison terms of 10 years for computer fraud and 20 years for money laundering, but says the judge will determine any sentence. Those figures are possible legal maximums, not the punishment imposed, and the announcement does not provide a sentencing date or outcome.
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