An American man has been indicted in connection with the Uranium Finance hack, which involved $54 million and could face up to 30 years in prison.

U.S. prosecutors have formally charged Jonathan Spalletta, a Maryland man, with multiple attacks on the decentralized exchange Uranium Finance since 2021, involving approximately $54 million. According to the indictment released by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, Spalletta faces charges of computer fraud and money laundering, carrying maximum sentences of 10 and 20 years in prison respectively, for a combined maximum sentence of 30 years. Prosecutors allege that Spalletta manipulated smart contract trading processes to create fictitious profits, illegally withdrawing more funds than he was entitled to, ultimately causing severe damage to and even the collapse of the exchange. Furthermore, the investigation indicates that he used some of the illicit proceeds to purchase collectibles, including a piece of Wright brothers airplane fabric that was taken to the moon by astronaut Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 mission. Prosecutors emphasized that crypto assets are also protected by law, and that "the notion that 'cryptocurrencies are just virtual assets' cannot be used as an excuse for theft."