California Man Sentenced for $263 Million Cryptocurrency Laundering Scheme

• •Evan Tangeman was sentenced to 70 months for laundering $263 million in stolen cryptocurrency.
• •The criminal enterprise involved mainly unemployed youths and operated through online gaming platforms.
• •Tangeman directed co-conspirators to destroy evidence after arrests, indicating awareness of wrongdoing.

Evan Tangeman, a 22-year-old from Newport Beach, California, was sentenced to 70 months in prison for his role in a criminal enterprise that stole over $263 million in cryptocurrency through social engineering scams and burglaries. The group, which operated from October 2023 to May 2025, consisted mainly of unemployed youths and minors who met through online gaming platforms. Tangeman admitted to laundering at least $3.5 million and was involved in converting stolen cryptocurrency into fiat currency while leasing luxury homes in cities like Los Angeles and Miami. He also received luxury vehicles, including Bentleys and Lamborghinis, as compensation for his activities. After the arrests of co-conspirators, he directed others to destroy evidence to obstruct the investigation. The case has seen multiple guilty pleas, with ongoing investigations into additional defendants.