- Federal agents arrested 21-year-old Zyaire Wilkins of North Lauderdale, Florida, accused of helping run a scheme that hid crypto-stealing Malware inside video games.
- The group infected roughly 8,000 devices, broke into about 80 cryptocurrency wallets, and stole at least $220,000 between May 2024 and February 2026, according to an FBI complaint.
- Wilkins is charged with conspiracy to obtain information by computer for private financial gain, carrying up to 10 years in prison.
- The malware-laced games, including PirateFi and BlockBlasters, were distributed on Steam; the FBI previously asked affected gamers to come forward.
Federal agents have arrested a 21-year-old Florida man for allegedly running a scheme that smuggled crypto-stealing malware into video games on Steam, infecting thousands of devices and stealing over $220,000 in cryptocurrency. The arrest was detailed in a 15-page federal complaint first reported by WPLG Local 10.
Zyaire Dontaevious Zamarion Wilkins, 21, of North Lauderdale was arrested Tuesday and charged with conspiracy to obtain information by computer for private financial gain. Between May 2024 and February 2026, Wilkins and others launched eight malware-laced games that infected roughly 8,000 devices, according to the FBI complaint.
The group gained access to about 80 crypto wallets and stole at least $220,000. They marketed the titles across Discord, Telegram, X and LinkedIn, using bots to target users with large crypto holdings.
Investigators tied Wilkins to the handle “Sibel.eth,” which he used to coordinate with an unidentified primary developer over the encrypted app Signal. The two discussed running “draining campaigns” and tricking victims into approving transactions that emptied their wallets, the complaint states.
Agents unmasked Wilkins by following Bitcoin from the scheme’s wallet to Bitrefill, where it was spent on more than 150 gift cards—mostly for Uber Eats. A subpoena to Uber linked those cards to deliveries at Wilkins’ home and university addresses.
When agents searched his home, Wilkins refused to speak and they seized several devices and three wallet seed phrases—including one for Monero, which an agent described as “frequently used by criminals.” The games, including PirateFi and BlockBlasters, were part of a public Steam malware investigation by the FBI’s Seattle field office.
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