Man sentenced to prison for stealing over $20 million, officials say

WYFF NEWS FOUR AT SIX STARTS RIGHT NOW. ANOTHER NIGHT WITH A FROST AND FREEZE THREAT ACROSS THE AREA. COMING UP I’LL SHOW YOU WHEN WE WARM THINGS BACK UP. THERE’S NOTHING LIKE BEING HERE, SEEING IT FOR YOURSELF AND SPEAKING WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN IMPACTED. THE U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY ON THE GROUND TODAY IN NORTH CAROLINA GETTING A FIRSTHAND VIEW OF THE DAMAGE TO TRAFFIC INFRASTRUCTURE FOLLOWING HELENE AS WORK TO RECOVER FROM HELENE CONTINUES IN NORTH CAROLINA. EARLY VOTING GETS UNDERWAY IN THE STATE, WITH THOUSANDS HEADED TO THE POLLS. WE’RE GOING TO GET THROUGH THIS BY CONTINUING TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE AND SPREAD HER LEGACY OF LOVE, AN ACT OF KINDNESS, TAKING A TRAGIC TURN. IN THE UPSTATE FLORIST CO-OWNER KILLED WHILE HANDING OUT FLOWERS TO DRIVERS. WE START WITH BREAKING NEWS TONIGHT IN PICKENS COUNTY AS THE SEARCH CONTINUES FOR A MISSING HIKER AND HER DOG. AUTHORITIES HAVE JUST RELEASED THESE PICTURES OF THE MISSING WOMAN DOCTOR CAROL BURPO AND HER DOG RILEY POE’S DAUGHTER SAYS HER MOTHER HAS PARKINSON’S SO FAR, TEAMS HAVE FOUND ANOTHER DOG THAT WAS WITH HER, ALONG WITH HER CAR KEYS AND DOG TREATS. BUT NO SIGN OF HER YET. WE WILL CONTINUE TO BRING YOU UPDATES ON THE SEARCH AS IT DEVELOPS. WEATHER NOW BECAUSE OF THE COLD TEMPERATURES CONTINUING. THAT’S RIGHT. LET’S TAKE A LIVE LOOK NOW FROM OUR SKY CAM. THIS IS A LOOK OVER LAKE HARTWELL, AND BECAUSE OF THE COLD, IT IS A LIVE SUPER DOPPLER FOUR IMPACT DAY. CHIEF METEOROLOGIST CHRIS JUSTUS IS HERE. CHRIS. IT LOOKS WARM OUT THERE, BUT WE KNOW IT’S NOT. HOW LONG WILL THE COLD SNAP LAST? WE’VE GOT A FEW MORE DAYS OF OF AT LEAST THE 30S IN THE MOUNTAINS. ONE MORE DAY OF THAT IN THE UPSTATE. WE’LL STILL HAVE CHILLY MORNINGS BEYOND THAT, BUT NO FROST OR FREEZE CONCERNS BEYOND THE NEXT 48 HOURS. CLEAR SKIES RIGHT NOW. THAT’S ALLOWING IT TO COOL DOWN VERY QUICKLY. WE HAD TEMPERATURES IN THE 60S TODAY, WHICH WERE COMFORTABLE, BUT NOW THE SUN IS LOWER IN THE SKY. THEY’RE COOLING DOWN VERY QUICKLY. THESE TEMPERATURES ARE ABOUT TEN DEGREES BELOW WHERE WE SHOULD BE THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. AND YOU NORMALLY WOULDN’T SEE THESE UNTIL WE GET TO THE END OF NOVEMBER. SO WE’RE A LITTLE BIT EARLIER WITH IT. CLEAR SKIES RIGHT NOW IN DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE A BEAUTY OF A DAY. 63 DEGREES. BUT OUR WIND IS STARTING TO SHIFT AROUND TO THE SOUTH SOUTHEAST. THAT’S GOING TO EVENTUALLY WARM US UP, BUT NOT BEFORE ANOTHER COLD NIGHT. WE’RE DOWN TO THE 40S. BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, WAKING UP TO JUST ABOVE FREEZING IN MANY LOCATIONS. COMING UP, I’LL MAP OUT HOW LOW YOUR TOWN GOES AND WHEN WE START TO WARM THINGS BACK UP FOR YOU. THANK YOU. CHRIS. THERE ARE SEVERAL THOUSAND AREAS DAMAGED AND HUNDREDS OF ROADS CLOSED DUE TO HELENE’S DEVASTATION IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. AND TODAY, US SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION PETE BUTTIGIEG AND NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR ROY COOPER TOURED SOME OF THE HARDEST HIT AREAS. OUR REY LLERENA WAS ALONGSIDE THEM AS THEY SURVEYED THAT DAMAGE. HE JOINS US LIVE IN ASHEVILLE NOW WITH MORE REA. THAT TOUR STARTED HERE IN THE RIVER ARTS DISTRICT, WHERE THE SECRETARY AND THE GOVERNOR MET WITH THESE BUSINESS OWNERS ABOUT HOW THEY ARE TRYING TO RECOVER AFTER HELENE. THE TOUR THEN TRAVELED A LITTLE BIT FURTHER TO OUR EAST OR WEST. SORRY TO CANTON WHERE THEY OBSERVED DAMAGE TO SEVERAL OTHER BUSINESSES ALONG THE PIGEON RIVER. THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SAYS SO FAR IT HAS MADE $100 MILLION IN EMERGENCY RELIEF FUNDS AVAILABLE TO NORTH CAROLINA TO HELP PAY FOR EMERGENCY ROAD WORK. FOLLOWING HELENE, SOME OF THAT MONEY, BUTTIGIEG SAYS, IS BEING USED TO STABILIZE THE SLOPE OF INTERSTATE 40 NEAR THE TENNESSEE STATE LINE, WHERE HALF OF THE ROADWAY WAS WASHED OUT. IT’S ONE THING TO SEE A PHOTO. IT’S ANOTHER TO STAND HERE AND LOOK AT JUST THE SHOCKING DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF THIS STORM. IT’S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO BELIEVE THAT WATER AND WIND ALONE COULD HAVE TORN APART ROCK AND ASPHALT IN. OFFICIALS SAY THE DAMAGE IS CAUSING THEM TO TAKE A SECOND LOOK AS TO HOW A NEW ROAD IS BUILT, ADDING THAT PUTTING IT BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS MAY NOT BE THE BEST OPTION FOR RESILIENCY AGAINST FUTURE STORMS. NOW, NCDOT SECRETARY JOEY HOPKINS TELLS ME THAT THEY DO NOT YET HAVE A TIMELINE AS TO WHEN I-40 CAN FULLY REOPEN. RIGHT NOW, HE SAYS, THE PRIORITY IS STABILIZING THE ROADWAY, AND BEFORE EVENTUALLY AND POTENTIALLY OPENING IT UP WITH A TEMPORARY TRAFFIC PATTERN. REPORTING LIVE IN ASHEVILLE, REY LLERENA. WYFF NEWS FOUR. AND TODAY IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT GAVE AN UPDATE ON THE WORK TO GET THE SCHOOLS UP AND RUNNING ONCE AGAIN. ANOTHER CHALLENGE WE’RE CLOSER TO SOLVING IS SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION. OUR SCHOOL BUSSES TRAVEL MORE THAN 15,000 MILES EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL DAY. WE’VE TRAVELED THOSE ROUTES. WE’RE REDRAWING OUR ROUTES AND IDENTIFYING COMMUNITY STOPS IN AREAS WHERE OUR BUSSES MAY NOT SAFELY BE ABLE TO TRAVEL. BUNCOMBE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT DOCTOR ROB JACKSON SAYS OUT OF THE 45 SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT, 44 HAVE POWER, 34 HAVE WATER AND 38 HAVE INTERNET. BUT SO FAR, A DECISION HAS NOT BEEN MADE ON WHEN BUNCOMBE COUNTY SCHOOLS WILL REOPEN. HELP CONTINUES TO FLOW INTO WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AFTER THE STORM. WE’RE TOLD AN URGENT NEED IN THE COMMUNITY OF SWANNANOA IS VOLUNTEERS TO COME AND HELP SORT THROUGH DEBRIS AND SORT THROUGH SUPPLIES. THERE ARE SEVERAL SUPPLY PICKUP SITES AROUND THE TOWN, AND TODAY WE TALKED TO A MAN FROM KEY WEST WHO SAYS HE FELT LED TO BRING SUPPLIES. THERE’S A LOT OF FAMILIES LIVING NOW LIVING IN TENTS IN PLACES. AND SO THE BASIC NEEDS OF CLOTHES HAVE REALLY BEEN MET. A LOT OF IN A LOT OF WAYS. BUT THAT’S YOU KNOW, HELP PEOPLE TO VOLUNTEER AND HELP. THAT WOULD BE THAT’S A BIG ONE. ANOTHER NEED IN SWANNANOA IS PORTABLE WAYS TO HEAT WITH ALL OF THESE COLDER TEMPERATURES MOVING IN AND COMMITMENT 2024 COVERAGE IN PERSON, EARLY VOTING IS NOW UNDERWAY IN NORTH CAROLINA, ELIGIBLE VOTERS CAN CAST A BALLOT AT ANY EARLY VOTING SITE IN THEIR COUNTY. OUR NATE STANLEY IS LIVE IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY AFTER THE POLLS CLOSED WITH MORE NATE. SIDNEY. IN THE LAST FEW MINUTES, WE’VE SEEN SOME OF THE LAST FEW VOTERS TRICKLE OUT HERE AT THE SOUTH. BUNCOMBE LIBRARY. IF YOU WERE IN LINE BY 5 P.M. TODAY, YOU COULD STILL CAST YOUR VOTE. NOW, POLLS OPENED AT 9 A.M. TODAY, AND THERE WAS ALREADY A LINE OUT OF THE DOOR AROUND THE BUILDING AT SOME POLLING LOCATIONS SHOWING YOU HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE EXCITED TO VOTE IN THIS YEAR’S ELECTION NOW. EARLY VOTING IS THE MOST POPULAR FORM OF VOTING FOR NORTH CAROLINIANS. 65% OF VOTERS CAST THEIR VOTE EARLY IN 2020. OFFICIALS EXPECT THAT NUMBER COULD INCREASE THIS YEAR, AND AN IMPORTANT REMINDER YOU STILL NEED AN ID TO VOTE IN NORTH CAROLINA. BUT IF YOU LOST YOURS AS A RESULT OF HURRICANE HELENE, YOU CAN STILL VOTE. THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS SAYS YOU WILL BE GIVEN AN EXCEPTION FORM IN THAT EXCEPTION FORM IS A OPTION IF YOU HAVE LOST YOUR ID OR CANNOT OBTAIN AN ID BECAUSE OF NATURAL DISASTER IN THE LAST 100 DAYS, YOU CAN COMPLETE THE EXCEPTION FORM AND WE CAN STILL ALLOW THAT PERSON TO VOTE. THEY WILL STATE THEIR NAME AND ADDRESS LIKE EVERY VOTER AND LIKE THEY ALWAYS DO WITH ANY ELECTION WHEN THEY CHECK IN. AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO VOTE, EARLY LOCATIONS ARE OPEN FROM 9 TO 5, FROM 9 A.M. TO 5 P.M. EVERY DAY, INCLUDING WEEKENDS. REPORTING IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY, NATE STANLEY, WYFF NEWS FOUR. THANK YOU NATE. EARLY VOTING STARTS IN SOUTH CAROLINA ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 21ST AND WILL LAST UNTIL SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND. REGISTERED VOTERS CAN VISIT AN EARLY VOTING LOCATION IN THEIR COUNTY. VOTERS ARE REMINDED TO BRING A PHOTO ID. VOTING WILL BE AVAILABLE MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY FROM 830 TO 6 P.M. THE OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED ON SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS. THIS GIVES YOU A TWO WEEK WINDOW TO GO ON YOUR TIME. SKIP THE LINES ON ELECTION DAY. SKIP THE. MY KID GOT SICK AND I CAN’T GO TO THE POLLS OR WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE. YOU’VE GOT A GOOD OPPORTUNITY HERE TO GO CAST YOUR VOTE, HAVE YOUR SAY, SUPPORT YOUR CANDIDATES AND MOVE ON. YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION ON SC. VOTES.GOV IN GREENVILLE. A TRAGIC ACCIDENT TOOK THE LIFE OF A FLORIST SHOP CO-OWNER AS SHE WAS PASSING OUT FLOWERS ALONG POINSETT HIGHWAY TODAY. EXPRESSIONS UNLIMITED WAS OPEN FOR BUSINESS, HOPING TO CONTINUE HER KINDNESS THAT SHE SHARED WITH THE WORLD. OUR MAYA PAYTON HAS MORE DETAILS. AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE FAMILY. A FLOWER CAN BRING A SMILE TO ANYONE’S FACE. THAT’S WHAT STACIE BRYANT BELIEVED AND HER LOVED ONES SAY THAT IN HER FINAL MOMENTS WITH HER LAST BREATH, SHE WAS DOING WHAT SHE LOVED THE MOST. ON WEDNESDAY, STACIE WAS LEADING A COMMUNITY INITIATIVE, PEDAL IT FORWARD, WHERE SHE WOULD STAND AT THE RED LIGHT, HANDING OUT TWO FLOWERS, ONE FOR THE DRIVER TO KEEP THE OTHER TO GIVE AWAY. BUT TRAGEDY STRUCK AS STACIE, IN THE MIDDLE OF HER ACT OF KINDNESS, FELL DOWN AND WAS HIT BY A TRAILER BEING CARRIED BY A VEHICLE, AND THEN DRAGGED. SHE DIED AT THE SCENE. STACY’S MOM, DEBBIE BUSH, SAYS THE GOAL WAS TO LIFT SPIRITS WITH THE FLOWERS. THOSE WHO LOVE HER SAY STACY’S JOY ALONE WILL BE WHAT THEY MISS THE MOST. IT WAS JUST SUCH A TRAGIC LOSS. IT WAS NOT JUST A LOSS TO OUR FAMILY. IT WAS IF YOU WORKED HERE, IF YOU SHOPPED HERE, YOU WERE THE EXPRESSIONS FAMILY. AND WE’RE GOING TO GET THROUGH THIS BY CONTINUING TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE AND SPREAD HER LEGACY OF LOVE. STACY’S PARENTS SAY THE SHOP HAS BEEN PARTICIPATING IN PEDAL IT FORWARD FOR NINE YEARS, AND IT’S THIS INITIATIVE THAT WAS THE CLOSEST TO STACY’S HEART. STACY LOVED GOING TO TRAILBLAZER PARK, AND SHE WOULD INVITE FRIENDS AND FAMILY. HER MOM SAYS THEY WILL BE THERE THIS WEEKEND. OF COURSE, SPREADING THAT LOVE AND KINDNESS THAT STACY TAUGHT THEM ALL TO WELL.

Man sentenced to prison for stealing over $20 million through crypto scheme, officials say

Updated: 10:25 PM EDT Oct 17, 2024

U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Dena King announced a man has been sentenced to prison for stealing over $20 million through fake websites.(Video above: WYFF News 4 Evening Headlines)According to court documents, Chirag Tomar, who is a citizen of the Republic of India, as early as June 2021, engaged in a spoofing scheme with several co-conspirators to steal millions in cryptocurrency from hundreds of victims. The victims were located worldwide and in the United States, including western North Carolina.King said spoofing, as it pertains to cybercrime, is when a malicious cyber actor disguises an email address, sender name, or website URL to convince victims they are interacting with a trusted source.Court documents show that Tomar and his co-conspirators committed fraud by spoofing Coinbase, which is one of the largest virtual currency exchanges in the world. Coinbase allows customers to buy, trade or sell cryptocurrencies.Coinbase operated a “Pro” version of its exchange, which was found at the URL “Pro.Coinbase.com.” King said Tomar and his co-conspirators used a similar fake URL, CoinbasePro.com, and created a fraudulent website to mimic the authentic website.Once victims entered their login credentials into the fake website, an authentication process began. In some instances, victims were tricked into providing their login and authentication information for the real Coinbase website to fraudsters. In other instances, victims were tricked into allowing fake Coinbase representatives to execute remote desktop software, which enabled the spoofers to gain control of victims’ computers and access their legitimate Coinbase accounts. Tomar and his co-conspirators would also impersonate Coinbase customer support and trick users into providing their two-factor verification code over the phone. Once the fraudsters gained access to the customer’s account, the fraudsters would quickly transfer the victim’s cryptocurrency wallets under the fraudster’s control, court documents showed.In February 2022, a victim from western North Carolina attempted to log into his Coinbase account through the fraudulent website. The fake website immediately alerted the victim that the account was locked and the victim needed to call a fake customer support. The fake representative tricked the victim into giving the two-factor authentication information, which gave the fraudster access to the victim’s real account. Using the two-factor authentication information, fraudsters stole cryptocurrency from the victim’s wallet valued at over $240,000, King said.Court records show Tomar transferred the victim’s funds into wallets he controlled. Tomar would then transfer the funds across many different wallets before converting the cryptocurrency into cash and distributing the funds to himself and his co-conspirators.Tomar would use the ill-gotten gains to live a lavish lifestyle, including buying expensive watches, luxury vehicles like Lamborghinis and Porsches, and take trips to Dubai, Thailand and elsewhere, officials said.On Dec. 20, 2023, Tomar was arrested at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport upon entering the United States. On May 20, 2024, Tomar pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, King said. According to officials, 31-year-old Tomar was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday for stealing more than $20 million through the use of fake websites. Following Tomar’s prison sentence, he will have two years of supervised release.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. —

U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Dena King announced a man has been sentenced to prison for stealing over $20 million through fake websites.

(Video above: WYFF News 4 Evening Headlines)

According to court documents, Chirag Tomar, who is a citizen of the Republic of India, as early as June 2021, engaged in a spoofing scheme with several co-conspirators to steal millions in cryptocurrency from hundreds of victims. The victims were located worldwide and in the United States, including western North Carolina.

King said spoofing, as it pertains to cybercrime, is when a malicious cyber actor disguises an email address, sender name, or website URL to convince victims they are interacting with a trusted source.

Court documents show that Tomar and his co-conspirators committed fraud by spoofing Coinbase, which is one of the largest virtual currency exchanges in the world. Coinbase allows customers to buy, trade or sell cryptocurrencies.

Coinbase operated a “Pro” version of its exchange, which was found at the URL “Pro.Coinbase.com.” King said Tomar and his co-conspirators used a similar fake URL, CoinbasePro.com, and created a fraudulent website to mimic the authentic website.

Once victims entered their login credentials into the fake website, an authentication process began. In some instances, victims were tricked into providing their login and authentication information for the real Coinbase website to fraudsters. In other instances, victims were tricked into allowing fake Coinbase representatives to execute remote desktop software, which enabled the spoofers to gain control of victims’ computers and access their legitimate Coinbase accounts.

Tomar and his co-conspirators would also impersonate Coinbase customer support and trick users into providing their two-factor verification code over the phone. Once the fraudsters gained access to the customer’s account, the fraudsters would quickly transfer the victim’s cryptocurrency wallets under the fraudster’s control, court documents showed.

In February 2022, a victim from western North Carolina attempted to log into his Coinbase account through the fraudulent website. The fake website immediately alerted the victim that the account was locked and the victim needed to call a fake customer support. The fake representative tricked the victim into giving the two-factor authentication information, which gave the fraudster access to the victim’s real account. Using the two-factor authentication information, fraudsters stole cryptocurrency from the victim’s wallet valued at over $240,000, King said.

Court records show Tomar transferred the victim’s funds into wallets he controlled. Tomar would then transfer the funds across many different wallets before converting the cryptocurrency into cash and distributing the funds to himself and his co-conspirators.

Tomar would use the ill-gotten gains to live a lavish lifestyle, including buying expensive watches, luxury vehicles like Lamborghinis and Porsches, and take trips to Dubai, Thailand and elsewhere, officials said.

On Dec. 20, 2023, Tomar was arrested at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport upon entering the United States. On May 20, 2024, Tomar pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, King said.

According to officials, 31-year-old Tomar was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday for stealing more than $20 million through the use of fake websites. Following Tomar’s prison sentence, he will have two years of supervised release.