In a strange Pokemon crypto crossover, a cybersecurity consultant and avid collector has been convicted in the US of a cryptocurrency theft worth almost $55M, with prosecutors saying some of the stolen funds were used to build a multimillion-dollar collection of rare trading cards.
Jonathan Spalletta, 36, was found guilty by a New York federal jury on Wednesday of computer fraud and money laundering following a six-day trial. The case centered on two attacks against the decentralized crypto exchange Uranium Finance in April 2021, which ultimately forced the platform to shut down.
BREAKING: Crypto hacker Jonathan Spalletta has been found guilty of stealing $53.3 million in crypto and spending part of it on Pokémon cards, a Black Lotus, and other collectibles. He faces up to 30 years in prison. pic.twitter.com/NxKBIJVeEC
— EyeWhales (@EyeWhales) October 7, 2026
Pokemon Crypto News: Authorities Seized $3M in Rare Trading Cards Along With $31M in Digital Assets
US authorities seized more than $3M in rare Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering cards from Spalletta’s Maryland home, along with about $31M in cryptocurrency. According to the US Department of Justice, some of the Pokémon purchases were among the most valuable items in his collection.
Among them was a sealed box of first-edition Pokémon booster packs purchased for approximately $257,500. Prosecutors also said Spalletta bought a complete first-edition Pokémon Base Set for around $750,000.
The purchases formed part of a wider collection of high-value collectibles allegedly acquired with cryptocurrency stolen from Uranium Finance.
Spalletta also reportedly spent approximately $500,000 on a rare Black Lotus Magic: The Gathering card and around $1.5M on 18 sealed Alpha Booster packs.
The collection extended beyond trading cards. Authorities said he purchased an ancient Roman coin commemorating the assassination of Julius Caesar for roughly $600,000, as well as a piece of the Wright brothers’ original aircraft that astronaut Neil Armstrong later carried to the Moon.
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How Did Spalletta Pull Off $55M Crypto Hack?
A few hours ago it was announced that $31M from the Uranium Finance exploit was seized by US law enforcement. In Dec 2023 I posted an investigation for the $50m Uranium exploit on BSC detailing how the exploiter had laundered $10.5M via Magic The Gathering trading cards using a… pic.twitter.com/tJtY54V2vf
— ZachXBT (@zachxbt) February 25, 2025
According to prosecutors, Spalletta tried to conceal the stolen cryptocurrency through a series of transactions, including using the crypto mixer Tornado Cash, before converting some of the funds into physical collectibles.
The original Uranium Finance attacks allegedly exploited vulnerabilities in the exchange’s smart contracts. The first incident generated approximately $1.4M, while a second attack later that month targeted 26 liquidity pools and extracted approximately $53.3M.
Spalletta’s defense argued that his actions did not amount to hacking because he used publicly available functions in Uranium’s smart contracts rather than stolen credentials or malicious code. The jury rejected that argument.
The case offers an unusual intersection between the Pokemon and crypto worlds, with the increasingly valuable market for collectible Pokemon cards, where rare vintage items can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Spalletta now faces up to 10 years in prison for computer fraud and up to 20 years for money laundering. His sentencing is scheduled for February 16, 2027.
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