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Sam Curry, a security engineer at Yuga Labs, found himself at the focus of a federal inquiry conducted collaboratively by the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
This investigation dates back to Curry’s role in identifying a cryptocurrency phishing site in December 2022.
Sam Curry’s Interaction with Federal Agents
Curry recounted the experience on his X account, outlining the circumstances that led to his subpoena and the ensuing investigation by federal officials. Upon his return to the United States following a trip to Japan, Curry was directed to a secondary inspection area. It was there that he received a Grand Jury subpoena.
For almost an hour, Curry was interrogated by officers from the IRS-CI and DHS, who posed ambiguous questions regarding a “high profile phishing campaign” and how his IP address might have been linked to a threat actor. “I assumed it was just a random selection,” Curry remarked.
Upon his arrival, he voluntarily provided his unlocked device to an inspecting officer. His device was subsequently handed over to agents from DHS and IRS-CI who were investigating allegations of money laundering, conspiracy, and wire fraud.
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Despite the extensive questioning, Curry was given minimal information regarding his involvement in the case. Afterward, he was asked to exit the room while agents conducted a thorough examination of his device for an additional hour.
Once the search was completed, Curry was permitted to leave, prompting him to reach out to a lawyer. In the days that followed, his attorney engaged with the Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) as well as the IRS-CI and DHS agents, after which they disclosed the surprising reason for his encounter.
The Private Key that Initiated the Investigation
In December 2022, Curry was instrumental in uncovering a crypto phishing website that had defrauded millions of dollars. The scammer inadvertently revealed their Ethereum private key within the website’s JavaScript. Curry attempted to investigate the matter by importing the private key into his MetaMask and verifying if any assets remained in the wallet. During this process, he utilized his home IP address.
The investigating agents requested the account’s authorization logs from OpenSea and traced the IP back to Curry. Consequently, they issued a subpoena, resulting in his unexpected interaction with federal authorities. However, after discussions between Curry’s lawyer and the authorities, the subpoena was rescinded, and all data from Curry’s device was erased.
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