News
Man extradited from Ukraine accused of stealing millions in cryptocurrency
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – An Uzbekistan man was extradited from Ukraine and taken to court Wednesday in Buffalo on charges he stole millions of dollars in cryptocurrency from a local resident, according to the States Attorney’s Office United.
37-year-old Nikita Andreevich Sklyuev, also known as Valeriy Dorojkin, is alleged to have created a malicious iPhone app disguised as a crypto wallet but actually designed to steal users’ data and drain their funds.
The app, called EOSIO Wallet Explorer, allegedly allowed Sklyuev to access a piece of data known as the user’s “private key”. With this information in hand, Sklyuev then had access to users’ funds and could lock them out of their accounts, officials said.
The judge overturned the demolition order on the day of the Cobblestone fire
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said a Western New York resident fell victim to this scheme in September 2018 and the EOS cryptocurrency, then valued at approximately $11.8 million, was stolen from his account. Sklyuev allegedly changed the private key of the victim’s wallet before transferring the funds to numerous other online wallets that were under his control in February 2019.
Sklyuev was charged with wire fraud and fraudulent use of an unauthorized access device. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Justice Department’s Bureau of International Affairs worked with Romanian and Ukrainian authorities to secure Sklyuev’s arrest and extradition late Thursday, U.S. Attorney Trini Ross said.
Sklyuev was taken to court and is in custody awaiting a prison detention hearing on July 3.
* * *
Nick Veronica is originally from Buffalo and joined the News 4 team as a digital executive producer in 2021. He previously worked at NBC Sports and The Buffalo News. You can follow Nick on Facebook, Twitter AND Discussions. See more of his work Here.