A Greek student appeared in a Las Vegas court on Wednesday accused of stealing up to $500,000 in bitcoin from a novice cryptocurrency trader in Las Vegas.
Filippos Liakounakos, 23 a Miami college student researched the backgrounds of multimillionaires in Southern Nevada, then targeted one for the theft while assuming another’s identity to carry out the fraud, according to the prosecutor.
According to unconfirmed reports in the Greek media, the accused is the son of prominent Greek entrepreneur Thomas Liakounakos.
A “sophisticated” bitcoin scam
“This is a very sophisticated, organized and thought out theft that we have here,” said Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Jim Sweetin during an initial appearance in Las Vegas Justice Court.
Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Liakounakos was booked at the Clark County Detention Center on Monday on charges of theft more than $100,000, using another person’s identity to cause a financial loss and unlawful felony act involving electronic mail or transmission of computer data.