Суд Манхэттена завершает дело о мошенничестве с криптовалютой из-за недостижения unanimity присяжными Translation: Manhattan Court Concludes Cryptocurrency Fraud Case Due to Jurys Inability to Reach Unanimity

They were accused of $25 million fraud.

A federal court in Manhattan has declared a mistrial in the case of brothers Anton and James Perair-Bueno, who were charged with committing fraud in the Ethereum network and stealing $25 million in cryptocurrency. This was reported by Business Insider.

According to journalists present at the hearing, the jury could not reach a unanimous decision. In their final motion, the jury noted that during deliberations, half of the members «unexpectedly burst into tears.» Some communicated to the judge in notes about their «sleepless nights.»

«We are unanimously convinced that we are making no progress,» the jurors stated.

The hearing was not extended, concluding a four-week trial. Prosecutors have yet to indicate whether they will pursue a retrial.

One juror addressed the prosecutor, explaining that the group struggled to agree on how to apply the law in this case. He also mentioned «insufficient discussion of the facts.»

Throughout the trial, jurors repeatedly sought clarifications and definitions for key terms such as «criminal,» «intentional,» «misleading,» and «false pretense.»

«There is no separate law for fraud in the blockchain sector. However, regardless of whether it is over the phone, online, or through Ethereum, you cannot lie and deceive people for personal gain,» stated prosecutor’s assistant Daniel Marie Kudla during closing arguments.

The Perair-Bueno brothers were arrested in the U.S. in May 2024. They faced charges of conspiracy to commit fraud using electronic means and money laundering.

According to the investigation, Anton and James, who studied mathematics and computer science at «one of the most prestigious universities in the world,» used their knowledge «to undermine the integrity of the blockchain.»

They launched an attack on MEV bot operators specializing in arbitrage. In doing so, they obtained 16 Ethereum validator accounts, investing 529.5 ETH (approximately $880,000) for this purpose.

To lure victims, the brothers employed «trap transactions»—operations involving the purchase of specific illiquid tokens. The main process lasted about 12 seconds, but was preceded by extensive preparation and testing.

This was the first time charges had been brought for such a scheme. The brothers faced up to 20 years in prison.

The defense contended that the Perair-Bueno brothers earned their funds legally, stating that their software merely «outsmarted» the victims’ bots. According to the lawyer, the defendants’ actions were standard practice in the «extremely competitive bot-eating world of Ethereum.»

In contrast, the prosecution argued that the brothers’ fraudulent actions involved «inputting a series of invalid zeroes, which nullified a transaction block that they were supposed to add to the blockchain.» Such manipulations allowed them to track and interfere with victims’ transactions.

However, neither side managed to conclusively sway the jury. This may not be the end of the proceedings in this case.

Recall that in August, jurors in the U.S. found Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm partially guilty of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business, leaving the crypto community disappointed.