Highland Park Man Led Hacker Crew's $400 Million Heist From FTX: Feds

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — A Highland Park man is accused of leading a group of criminals that stole more than $400 million by taking over the cell phone accounts of identity theft victims.

Robert Powell, 26, was the head a "SIM swapping crew" and went by names such as "ElSwapo1 and "R$," according to an indictment unsealed following his arrest in January.

The technique of SIM swapping — tricking cell carriers into reassigning someone's subscriber identity module, or SIM, card — allows hackers to defeat many forms of the multi-factor authentication used to secure financial and other accounts.

Powell is charged alongside Carter Rohn, 24, of Indianapolis, and Emily Hernandez, 23, of Colorado Springs, with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud an one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft and access device fraud, charges that could carry decades in prison if convicted.

The crew is accused of stealing nearly $1.3 million in cryptocurrency from a pair of victims in the fall of 2022 before making their big score on Nov. 11, 2022 — the day that collapsed crypto-exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy.

According to the 18-page indictment, they took over the cell phone number of an employee of FTX, which federal prosecutors refer to as "Victim Company-1", and transferred more than $400 million in crypto into online wallets they controlled.

The trio continued to take over people's cell phone accounts and steal virtual currency through April 2023.

The FBI had been investigating Powell since before a March 2021 raid of the $2 million Museum Drive home he rents for $6,000 in cash, according to the Chicago Tribune, which first reported Powell's arrest and the prior probe.

Federal investigators believed Powell was the leader of another criminal enterprise that involved stealing more than $1 million from PayPal users. Citing an FBI affidavit, the Tribune reported that Powell was also thought to be invested with a violent gang called the "ChoppaBoys" in his native Indiana.

Powell is awaiting trial on home confinement. His defense attorney told a judge last month makes most of his money gambling, but he was nonetheless prohibited from accessing the internet, the Tribune reported.

According to a joint status report filed Friday, defense attorneys should have the core evidence in the matter before April 20, though the investigation is likely to continue into the summer "as new evidence is obtained." The next court date in the case is scheduled for March 29.