New York Man Pleads Guilty to Impersonating Crypto Influencers in Investment Scam

Greenbelt, Maryland - Noman Saleem, 38, of Queens and Levittown, New York, pled guilty today, in connection with his role in a wire fraud scheme. Saleem conspired to steal the victims' money - including a victim in Maryland - under the guise of a crypto staking or crypto investment opportunity with guaranteed returns.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) - Baltimore Field Office.

According to the plea agreement, beginning in December 2020, and continuing through at least March 2021, Saleem engaged in the investment scheme by promoting himself as popular online crypto influencers, convincing several victims to send crypto to virtual wallets that he owned and controlled. The victims invested with Saleem under the guise of a crypto staking or crypto investment opportunity with guaranteed returns. After Saleem took control of the victims' crypto, he ceased communicating with them and disappeared with their crypto.

Cryptocurrencies are not tied to any nation's fiat currency. The owner of cryptocurrency is assigned a mathematical encryption key pair consisting of a public key and a private key. A public key, also known as an address, is visible to the public. The public key allows the public to verify the owner of virtual currency and to send and receive cryptocurrencies. A private key, also known as a secret key, utilizes a password to complete cryptocurrency transactions. Secret keys are typically only shared with the owner of the public key. A wallet can hold multiple public keys for a user and an account can hold multiple wallets for a user.

Crypto staking involves holding cryptocurrency holdings for a period of time to earn interest or rewards. Crypto staking is often accomplished through groups of people or pools, with participants earning passive income on their holdings, ranging from 5 to 20 percent.

In 2020, Saleem began using Telegram as a messaging application. Saleem created a handle on Telegram used by a popular crypto influencer. Thousands of people joined Saleem's public channel, and Saleem also created a VIP sub channel by subscription in exchange for approximately $500 to $600 of crypto. Saleem led members to believe that he was the influencer, as VIP channel members could direct message him. He also created a second handle using another popular crypto influencer's handle and offered channel members the option to join his VIP channel by subscription.

Saleem advertised staking rewards through his Telegram channels, with terms of 30 to 90 days. He then enticed potential investors with promises that the more crypto that they invested, the greater the returns. Saleem never actually staked any crypto.

While conducting the crypto influencing and staking scheme, Saleem obtained at least $1,798,529 in U.S. currency. The Government seized much of these losses back in the form of crypto and U.S. currency, as identified in the plea agreement.

Saleem is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud. His sentencing is set for March 3, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI for its work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean R. Delaney and Evelyn L. Cusson, who are prosecuting the case, and recognized Paralegal Specialist Shelbe Mascaro for her valuable assistance.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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