California Man Sentenced for Laundering Millions From Social-Engineering Crypto Heists

Evan Tangeman, a 22-year-old from Newport Beach, California, was sentenced to 70 months in prison after pleading guilty to a RICO conspiracy tied to a cybercriminal network that stole roughly $230 million to $260 million in cryptocurrency from victims. Prosecutors said Tangeman laundered at least $3.5 million between October 2023 and May 2025 for the group, which allegedly stole more than 4,100 Bitcoin from a Washington, D.C., victim in August 2024 and used the proceeds to fund luxury homes, private jets, high-end vehicles, private security, and other lavish purchases.

Authorities said the organization, identified by law enforcement as the Social Engineering Enterprise, targeted wealthy cryptocurrency holders using stolen and dark-web-sourced data, spoofed phone numbers, impersonation of Google and Gemini support staff, and remote-access tools including AnyDesk to obtain Bitcoin Core private keys. Investigators alleged the group then obscured the proceeds through mixers, exchanges, peel chains, pass-through wallets, and VPNs, while Tangeman also helped rent properties under false identities and destroy devices after arrests of key members. Another alleged launderer, Kunal Mehta, has also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.