New York man sentenced to 15 months in prison for impersonating a crypto KOL in a $1.4 million scam

Odaily Planet Daily News A New York man has been sentenced to 15 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release by a U.S. court for impersonating a cryptocurrency influencer on Telegram and defrauding investors with promises of虚假 staking returns.

Noman Saleem, 39, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in September 2025. Prosecutors stated that he created multiple fake Telegram accounts, impersonated well-known crypto KOLs, attracted thousands of users to join channels, and set up paid "VIP sub-channels."

Saleem told victims he could provide "guaranteed returns" through crypto staking or investment opportunities, inducing several people to transfer crypto assets to wallets he controlled. However, prosecutors said he never actually conducted any staking operations. Instead, after receiving the funds, he stopped communicating and absconded with the victims' assets. The case resulted in losses exceeding $1.4 million, with the U.S. government recovering and seizing most of the funds.