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Malone Lam, the 22-year-old&nbsp;Singaporean citizen and recent Miami resident,&nbsp;pleaded guilty&nbsp;in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., to his role&nbsp;as ringleader of an international conspiracy to steal and launder cryptocurrency worth more than $245 million, the&nbsp;U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/singaporean-ringleader-245-million-cryptocurrency-racketeering-enterprise-pleads-guilty" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">announced</a> on Sep. 8.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
 Malone Lam, 22, a citizen of Singapore and recent resident of Miami, pleaded guilty today in connection with his role as ringleader of an international cybercrime conspiracy that used social engineering to steal and launder cryptocurrency valued at more than $245 million,… <a href="https://t.co/R8Nnz9a7n6" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">pic.twitter.com/R8Nnz9a7n6</a>— U.S. Attorney DC (@USAO_DC) <a href="https://x.com/USAO_DC/status/2097399180264136824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">September 8, 2026</a>
</blockquote>
The Gen Zer&nbsp;led an international network that preyed on victims through deception, invaded their privacy, and stole hundreds of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency,&nbsp;Pirro said.
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<h2 id="lam-aka-anne-hathaway-pleads-guilty-toone-count-of-rico">Lam aka 'Anne Hathaway' pleads guilty to&nbsp;one count of RICO</h2>
Lam&nbsp;organized the criminal enterprise, identified target victims, and coordinated the roles of the different conspirators. Notably, he used the&nbsp;online alias "Anne Hathaway,"&nbsp;“$$$,” and “King Greavy” while running the operation.&nbsp;
He pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to one count of participating in a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy. Judge Kollar-Kotelly set a status hearing Dec. 8.
The RICO Act is a U.S. federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization.&nbsp;Those found guilty of racketeering can be fined up to $25,000 and sentenced to 20 years in prison per racketeering count.
Individuals&nbsp;based in California, Connecticut, New York, Florida, and abroad formed connections on online gaming platforms and decided to use&nbsp;social engineering and even home break-ins to obtain information so that they could&nbsp;steal the victims’ crypto wallets.
The criminal operation&nbsp;began no later than October 2023 and continued through at least May 2025 as per court documents.
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<h2 id="stolen-crypto-funded-luxury-lifestyle">Stolen crypto funded luxury lifestyle&nbsp;</h2>
The accused and associates&nbsp;used the stolen cryptocurrency to purchase nightclub services ranging up to $500,000 per evening, luxury handbags, clothes, and watches, and rental homes in Los Angeles, the Hamptons, and Miami.
They also rented private jets,&nbsp;a fleet of exotic cars, and&nbsp;a team of private security guards, the statement read.
Law&nbsp;enforcement arrested Lam on Sep. 18 last year at his rental home in Miami.&nbsp;
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation Washington, D.C., are investigating the case involving the theft of crypto assets worth more than $245 million.
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Gen-Z 'Anne Hathaway' pleads guilty to $245M heist

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