New York man gets 15 months for $1.4M Telegram crypto scam

Noman Saleem, 39, was sentenced to 15 months in prison and three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow. The sentence follows his September 2025 guilty plea to wire fraud charges.

Prosecutors say Saleem used fake Telegram handles to impersonate well-known crypto influencers and built channels that attracted thousands of followers. He created a paid “VIP sub channel” and persuaded several people to send cryptocurrency to virtual wallets he controlled, promising guaranteed staking returns.

According to court filings, Saleem did not stake the assets as promised and stopped communicating with investors after gaining control of their funds. Prosecutors wrote in a statement: “The victims invested with Saleem under the guise of a crypto staking or crypto investment opportunity with guaranteed returns. After Saleem took control of the victims’ crypto, he ceased communicating with them and disappeared with their crypto.”

Authorities say the scheme produced more than $1.4 million in losses. Federal officials recovered most of that amount through asset seizures. At least one identified victim lived in Maryland; others were reached through the Telegram channels Saleem operated.

Investigators linked the fake accounts and the paid sub-channel to the virtual wallets that received investor funds. Prosecutors charged that misrepresentations about staking returns and false influencer endorsements induced transfers of cryptocurrency into wallets Saleem controlled.

Staking is a process used by some blockchain networks in which token holders lock up coins to support network operations and earn periodic rewards. Prosecutors said Saleem represented he would stake investors' assets but never performed the activity or returned the funds.

Prosecutors also said recovered funds will be used to compensate victims as part of the criminal resolution.