[Another Key Figure in $263 Million Cryptocurrency Money Laundering Case in the U.S., Evan Tangeman, Pleads Guilty] According to The Block, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today that a key figure in a social engineering scheme involving $263 million has pleaded guilty. Evan Tangeman, a 22-year-old California resident, admitted in front of U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to participating in a conspiracy crime as defined by the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), laundering over $3.5 million for the scheme. The statement noted that Tangeman is the ninth defendant to plead guilty in the investigation of this case. This social engineering scheme was carried out between October 2023 and May 2025. The criminal group initially consisted of a network of online gaming friends scattered across California, Connecticut, New York, Florida, and overseas. The scheme stole approximately 4,100 bitcoins, valued at $263 million at the time, which have since increased in value to $371 million. The group was composed of hackers, organizers, target identifiers, phone scammers, and residential burglars targeting hardware wallets. They used stolen databases to identify their victims. Hackers infiltrated websites and servers to obtain cryptocurrency-related databases, while target identifiers used these databases to pinpoint the most valuable victims. Tangeman's sentencing is scheduled for April 24, 2026. Earlier reports revealed that U.S. citizen Kunal Mehta pleaded guilty to assisting in laundering $263 million in cryptocurrency assets and had purchased 28 luxury cars for the group.