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MIT students stole $25M in seconds by exploiting ETH blockchain bug, DOJ says


Brothers charged in novel crypto scheme potentially face decades in prison.

Within approximately 12 seconds, two highly educated brothers allegedly stole $25 million by tampering with the ethereum blockchain in a never-before-seen cryptocurrency scheme, according to an indictment that the US Department of Justice unsealed Wednesday. "The brothers, who studied computer science and math at one of the most prestigious universities in the world, allegedly used their specialized skills and education to tamper with and manipulate the protocols relied upon by millions of ethereum users across the globe," Williams said. Later, seemingly attempting to prepare for any legal consequences from the scheme, the brothers allegedly searched for things like "top crypto lawyers," and "money laundering statute of limitations," and "does the United States extradite to [foreign country]."

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