15 months in prison for fake staking: how a scammer copied crypto influencers
The crypto industry has once again faced a stark reminder that trust in public figures can be cruelly exploited. A New York resident, 39-year-old Noman Salim, has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for a large-scale fraudulent scheme built on impersonating well-known crypto influencers. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow for the District of Maryland imposed three years of supervised release.
The Scheme: From Subscription to Disappearance
Salim's criminal activity spanned from December 2020 through at least March 2021. His plan was simple but effective. The perpetrator copied the usernames of popular crypto influencers on Telegram, creating fake public channels that thousands of users subscribed to. He then launched a paid VIP chat, access to which cost between $500 and $600 in cryptocurrency. Victims were convinced they were communicating directly with a real expert.
After building a sufficient audience, Salim moved to the next phase — copying the username of a second influencer and launching a similar system. He offered investors staking with fixed returns for periods ranging from 30 to 90 days, promising higher payouts for large deposits. In reality, there was no staking. The funds were not placed in liquidity pools but simply went to wallets controlled by the fraudster. Once the assets reached his accounts, Salim cut off all communication and disappeared.
Scale and Restitution
According to the investigation, the scheme netted Salim at least $1.4 million in cryptocurrencies and fiat dollars. This is a vivid example of how the anonymity of digital assets and trust in well-known figures create fertile ground for financial crimes. Notably, the fraudster returned most of this amount to the state as part of a plea deal. Salim pleaded guilty in September 2025.
This case is just part of a growing wave of fraud exploiting the reputations of public figures on social media. U.S. authorities are demonstrating that even the anonymity of crypto wallets is no guarantee of impunity. For investors, this is yet another signal: "easy" money from "verified" influencers on Telegram is almost always a red flag.
Expert Opinion: From a legal standpoint, Salim's sentence is precedent-setting. It shows that American justice is prepared to pursue not only the creators of scam projects but also those who use others' authority as a tool for deception. However, the very fact that a scheme involving username impersonation on Telegram yielded $1.4 million speaks to the low digital literacy of many investors. The crypto community should more actively promote the practice of verifying channels and public figures to prevent such stories from recurring.