Cryptocurrency fraudster given only one and a half years in prison for stealing $ 22 million in cryptocurrency

25-year-old Nicholas Truglia faces up to 18 months in prison for participating in a scheme that resulted in the theft of $ 22 million in cryptocurrency from blockchain consultant Michael Trepin in 2018.

It is alleged that the criminals asked Nicholas to convert the tokens stolen from Trepin into bitcoin. The prosecution describes Nicholas as a member of a large criminal group that uses SIM-swapping (a method of transferring numbers from a victim’s phone to SIM cards under the control of fraudsters) to steal from the crypto industry.

After his own private investigation, Trepin actually pointed out to the authorities the possible thieves of his assets. Truglia is the only one of the group to face criminal charges, as well as potentially $ 80 million in damages.

18 months is only a year and a half in prison. Such a short sentence for such a theft may be related to Nicholas' autism. The fraudster’s lawyer stated that autism makes it difficult for Nicholas to understand real-world consequences.