Florida man accused of stealing almost $576K in cryptocurrency

CLEARWATER, Fla. — A Florida man is accused of stealing nearly $576,000 worth of cryptocurrency from a person while he was setting up a computer in the victim’s home, authorities said.

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Aaron Daniel Motta, 27, of Pinellas Park, was arrested Friday and charged with grand theft and offenses against computer users, according to Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office online booking records.

According to an arrest affidavit, Motta was setting up a security system at the victim’s house and had access to that person’s computer, the Tampa Bay Times reported. The victim is older than 65 years old, according to the affidavit.

The Clearwater Police Department said that Motta stole a Trezor hardware wallet from the victim’s home, according to WFLA-TV. The wallet allows users to store cryptocurrency offline, the Times reported.

The affidavit stated that Motta found the password to the wallet nearby.

Motta then transferred cryptocurrency worth $575,910.61 at the time to multiple wallets that he controlled, according to the Times.

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According to his LinkedIn page, Motta is listed as a “certified ethical hacker” and “CyberSec analyst,” WFLA reported. The profile adds that Motta received a bachelor’s degree from St. Petersburg College.

According to a Facebook page in Motta’s name, he is listed as an IT manager, former cyber security engineer and ethical hacker, according to the Times.

The newspaper attempted to contact Motta for comment, but he has not responded.

Motta was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on Friday but was released early Saturday after paying $60,000 bail, online records show.

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