Fugitive Levine and Disbarred Lawyer Reichenthal Hit With $5M Crypto Fraud Charges

Fugitive Randy Craig Levine and disbarred lawyer Philip Reichenthal have been charged with over $5 million in cryptocurrency fraud, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss announced that Levine, also known as Viktor Lapin, Andre Santiago Santos Galindo, Alexander Martinez Lavrov, and Alexander Kozlov, allegedly induced investors into sending millions to Reichenthal, who was a licensed attorney at the time. Reichenthal purportedly acted as an escrow agent but instead sent most of the money to Levine without providing Bitcoin or refunds.

LEVINE, a U.S. citizen who fled the U.S. in 2005 after being investigated for passport fraud, has been on the run since. He was arrested in Guatemala and Austria with forged passports containing various aliases. Extradition is pending.

Reichenthal was apprehended today in Homestead, Florida, and will appear before United States District Judge Jacqueline Becerra in the Southern District of Florida later today.

‘Levine and Reichenthal allegedly pocketed investor funds, promising Bitcoin transactions that never materialized,’ said Strauss. ‘Their arrest today ensures they face justice for this alleged scheme.’ FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. added, ‘They were con artists who finally got caught in the act.’

The Complaint unsealed in Manhattan federal court details two fraudulent schemes where Levine induced individuals to wire money to Reichenthal for Bitcoin purchases, which never occurred. Instead, the funds were funneled to Levine’s overseas bank accounts.