‘Can I cross border with crypto?’: Hacker turned to Google after $9M DeFi raid

In the months after stealing millions in crypto, the accused proceeded to Google things like “defi hacks FBI”

article-image

Sundry Photography/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share

The Southern District of New York unveiled an indictment against an individual who stole $9 million from an unnamed decentralized cryptocurrency exchange. 

Following the theft, Shakeeb Ahmed proceeded to Google Search terms presumably in the hopes of evading the authorities. 

“As alleged, Mr. Ahmed used his skills as a computer security engineer to steal millions of dollars. He then allegedly tried to hide the stolen funds, but his skills were no match for IRS Criminal Investigation’s Cyber Crimes Unit,” said Tyler Hatcher, an agent at the IRS-CI.

Ahmed then proceeded to contact the crypto exchange to offer most of the money back in return for pocketing $1.5 million. He also proceeded to inform the exchange of its “technical vulnerabilities.”

And then, as one does, Ahmed took to Google to search terms related to the crime he had committed. He looked up “defi hack” and visited news articles connected to his attack. 

According to the indictment, Ahmed had used a VPN to conceal his internet protocol address during the attack. Afterward, he attempted to search for information to ensure that the VPN would not lead back to him.

The hack, which happened in July 2022, led to a number of different search inquiries from Ahmed as he waited to see if he had gotten away with his crime.

In August, Ahmed searched “defi hacks FBI” as well as “wire fraud” and “how to prove malicious intent.”

In a twist of irony, Ahmed is charged with wire fraud by the prosecutors. He is also charged with money laundering. 

Ahmed was also interested in “how to stop federal government from seizing assets” and then researched how he could either buy citizenship — presumably to another country — or cross borders with the $1.5 million he still had from the attack. 

The timeline of the attack was given in the indictment — which states that Ahmed contacted the exchange “almost immediately after the attack” on July 3, and then continued to negotiate with the exchange on July 6, lines up with the hack of liquidity protocol CremaFinance last July. 

CremaFinance did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Blockworks asking if the indictment was related to the $9 million hack last July.

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research Report Templates (2).png

Research

We’re bullish on the PUMP token. We believe Pump.fun's brand strength, existing integrations, product roadmap, and strategic levers justify PUMP's TGE valuation, and expect the token to re-rate meaningfully higher in the months ahead.

article-image

The non-profit’s “Project Open” seeks to let stocks trade directly on Solana

article-image

The acquisition is Pump.fun’s first, and comes just days before its planned ICO

article-image

As Trump’s tariff war reignites, everyone is assuming the dollar will continue its path lower. But the journey might be bumpy

article-image

A valuation model for “blockchain GDP”

article-image

The mini app combines vibe-coding with a hypercasual game feed and is coming to the new Coinbase Wallet

article-image

An improbable tale of the world’s 40th graphics-chip startup