A Queens man has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for impersonating crypto influencers on Telegram and stealing $1.4 million from investors. According to reports from the US Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland, Noman Saleem, 39, of Queens and Levittown was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release. The scheme operated from December 2020 through at least March 2021 before Saleem's arrest. Court records show that Saleem pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges in September 2025 after investigators traced several digital wallets connected to the scheme.
Saleem's fraudulent operation involved cloning the Telegram handles of popular crypto influencers in 2020. As reported by the US Attorney's Office, he created public channels that attracted thousands of users, then established paid VIP sub-channels charging approximately $500-$600 in crypto for subscription access. Members believed they were communicating directly with the real influencers, leading them to trust Saleem's investment advice and send cryptocurrency to wallets he controlled. According to prosecutors, Saleem created multiple Telegram profiles designed to resemble well-known cryptocurrency traders and commentators, with victims transferring crypto assets directly to wallets controlled by Saleem under the belief that their funds would be used for staking activities on blockchain networks. However, investigators stated that the assets were never deployed into legitimate staking protocols and remained under Saleem's control.
The scheme generated at least $1.4 million in both cryptocurrency and US dollars from victim investments. According to prosecutors, the government successfully recovered much of this sum through the plea agreement reached with Saleem. Federal authorities confirmed that most of the $1.4 million linked to the fraud has already been seized, which may reduce financial losses for several victims, although investigators did not specify how much money could eventually be returned. US District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow imposed the sentence, as announced by the US Attorney's Office on Tuesday.
This case represents part of a growing wave of fraud that exploits trust in social media personalities, as noted by prosecutors. The Department of Justice argued that the scheme relied heavily on social engineering tactics rather than failures in blockchain technology itself. Security researchers have repeatedly warned that impersonation scams remain one of the fastest-growing threats in the digital asset industry, particularly across encrypted messaging platforms such as Telegram and Discord. The case arrives as crypto companies continue expanding verification systems for influencers, traders, and investment channels. Several exchanges and blockchain analytics firms have also increased efforts to identify suspicious wallet activity connected to fake investment operations. While regulators continue pursuing fraud cases tied to digital assets, many industry participants argue that fraudulent actors should not be confused with the underlying blockchain sector.
