Crypto News– Charles O. Parks III, known as CP3O, has been indicted for allegedly masterminding a $3.5 million cryptojacking scheme aimed at prominent cloud computing services.
Cryptojacking Scam: Nebraska Resident Accused in 3.5 Million Dollars Cryptojacking Scam
The charges were unveiled by the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York on April 15, 2024. If found guilty, he could potentially face a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison.
Cryptojacker from Nebraska Enjoyed Extravagant Lifestyle Financed by Fraudulent Means
Parks, hailing from Nebraska, stands accused of defrauding two cloud computing service providers, amassing over $3.5 million in resources through deceptive means. Prosecutors allege that he leveraged the stolen processing power to mine nearly $1 million worth of cryptocurrencies, including Ethereum, Litecoin, and Monero.
The charges against Parks encompass wire fraud, money laundering, and involvement in unlawful monetary transactions. He was apprehended in Nebraska on April 13 and is set to appear in court in Omaha on April 16. As per the indictment, Parks’ illicit activities spanned from January to August 2021. During this time, he purportedly deceived cloud providers by employing various aliases and corporate entities, such as MultiMillionaire LLC and CP3O LLC, to illicitly obtain significant amounts of computing power without fulfilling payment obligations.
Moreover, Parks allegedly laundered digital currencies through exchanges, an NFT marketplace, and various banking channels in an attempt to obfuscate his activities. He is accused of structuring transactions to evade federal reporting requirements. Prosecutors assert that Parks utilized the illicit proceeds to finance an extravagant lifestyle, including luxury items such as a Mercedes Benz, jewelry, and premium travel accommodations.
Cryptojacking entails the unauthorized utilization of another individual’s computing resources for cryptocurrency mining purposes. Instead of investing in crypto mining hardware, hackers implant malware onto the victim’s device, enabling them to mine cryptocurrency without the victim’s consent or awareness.
Through the pilfering of computing resources, cryptojackers gain an unfair advantage over legitimate Bitcoin miners while circumventing the substantial costs typically associated with mining operations.
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