Behind bars for fake staking: New York resident impersonated crypto influencers
Justice has caught up with a fraudster who masterfully impersonated well-known crypto personalities. 39-year-old Noman Saleem from Queens and Levittown has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for orchestrating a large-scale phishing scheme involving fake staking on the Telegram platform. The term of supervised release after imprisonment will be three years.
How the "Crypto Impersonator" Operated
The scheme ran from December 2020 until at least March 2021. Saleem began by copying the username of a popular crypto influencer on Telegram, creating a public channel with thousands of subscribers. He then launched a paid VIP chat with a subscription fee ranging from $500 to $600 in cryptocurrency. Victims were convinced they were communicating directly with the real expert.
But he did not stop there. The fraudster copied the username of a second crypto influencer, launching a similar subscription system. This allowed him to significantly expand his audience. Saleem offered victims staking with a fixed income for periods ranging from 30 to 90 days, promising higher payouts for larger deposits. In reality, he did not place the funds in staking — it was a classic Ponzi scheme.
Sentencing Figures and Asset Recovery
Victims transferred cryptocurrency to wallets controlled by Saleem. After receiving the digital assets, he would cut off communication and disappear with the money. As stated in documents from the U.S. Department of Justice, he "built an investment scheme by impersonating popular internet influencers from the crypto industry, convincing victims to transfer assets to virtual wallets under his control."
According to the investigation, the scheme generated at least $1.4 million in cryptocurrency and U.S. dollars. Saleem returned most of this amount to the state as part of a plea agreement. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow. Saleem pleaded guilty in September 2025.
Expert opinion from Cryptalist: This case is a stark reminder that trust in "big names" within the crypto community must be backed by verification. Telegram's anonymity and the inability to verify identity create fertile ground for scammers. U.S. authorities show that even crypto anonymity does not guarantee impunity, but for investors, the best defense is their own vigilance and source verification.