According to the Clearwater Police Department, a 27-year-old man stole more than $575,000 in cryptocurrencies from an elderly person while installing technology in the victim’s house.
As per the arrest document, Aaron Daniel Motta of Pinellas Park faces felony charges of grand theft and crimes against internet users.
The report says, Motta was at the victim’s residence to install a security system and had access to the victim’s computer. While there, Motta stole a Trezor hardware wallet, which allows users to store cryptocurrency offline, and found the password nearby, according to authorities.
Motta moved cryptocurrencies worth $575,910.61 to several wallets under his control. Cryptocurrency is a sort of digital money that is kept on the blockchain, a peer-to-peer network that acts as a secure transaction record.
According to Motta’s Facebook profile, he is an IT manager, a former cyber security engineer, and an ethical hacker. On Saturday, the phone number mentioned on the affidavit, which is also posted online by the firm Motta works for, remained unanswered.
The victim is 65 or older. Motta was arrested and booked into Pinellas County Jail on Friday afternoon, but was released before 1 a.m. Saturday after posting $60,000 bail.
