| Spalletta Indicted
for Uranium Finance Hack Day 3
of Trial Turns to ZK Zero
Knowledge
by
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book
Substack SDNY
COURTHOUSE,
Sept 30 รข€“ Jonathan Spalletta
was arrested and arraigned on
March 30 for two hacks of
Uranium Finance in April 2021.
The second hack,
the indictment alleges, netted
$53 million which it says
Spalletta "laundered including
through the cryptocurrency
mixer Tornado Cash in order to
buy Pokemon cards, antique
Roman coins and a piece of the
Wright brothers' original
plane that Neil Armstrong had
taken to the moon. To the
moon! [Echoes of SafeMoon,
prosecuted in
EDNY] Inner City
Press was in the U.S. District
Court for the Southern
District of New York
Magistrates Court when
Spalletta was presented and
sent up to Judge Jed S.
Rakoff's courtroom for
arraignment. On September 11,
before a September 28 trial,
Judge Rakoff ruled that the
US' Daubert motion is due
September 14 with Defendant's
opposition due September 23. On September 28
the trial began, with (very)
short jury selection, openings
and a witness, which Inner
City Press live tweeted. On
September 29 lead defense
counsel Bell requested out,
and got it. On September 30: Defense lawyer
Sharma, now lead counsel: Mr.
Pettyjohn, what does the ZK in
ZK Snark stand for? Pettyjohn:
Zero knowledge. Sharma: The
flawed code of Uranium Finance
allowed the exploit?
Pettyjohn: The exploit made it
flawed [?] It
continues Spalletta now with 3
lawyers beside him, all from
the same firm (whose name
partner is apparently in line
to become US Ambassador to
Egypt) AUSA: Do you see 3
lines of words - do they make
sense in a sentence? Sharma:
Objection! Calls for
speculation! Judge
Rakoff: Overruled Witness:
It's a seed phrase. AUSA:
Special Agent Marshall, And
this is the Uranium bug file?
Special Agent: It is. AUSA:
And another file named
"Tornado"? Special Agent: Yes Cross Sharma: You had
to try to get into an
encrypted file? Special Agent:
We used the passwords of the
phone Sharma: But you have no
idea why these files were
there, just that they were
that, right? Special Agent:
Correct [Now
Spalletta leaning back and
whispering to Sharma. After a
time] Sharma: No
further questions. More
on X for Subscribers here
and Substack here. The case is USA v. Spalletta, 1:26-cr-118 (Rakoff)
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innercitypress.com |
Friday, October 9, 2026
Spalletta Indicted for Uranium Finance Hack Day 3 of Trial Turns to ZK Zero Knowledge
