Ajay Shinjin Sentenced to 30 Months Over £195,000 Crypto Theft

Ajay Shinjin, 25, was sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to offenses tied to a SIM-swap scheme that caused approximately £195,000 in cryptocurrency losses across four victims.

Shinjin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and transferring criminal property. He was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on Oct. 8.

The losses included about £40,000 taken from one victim on Nov. 2, 2021, and roughly £17,000 taken from another between Nov. 5 and 7. Approximately £8,000 was taken from a Coinbase account on Nov. 3, while a fourth victim lost about £130,000 between Nov. 6 and 7.

More than £44,000 in stolen cryptocurrency went to Shinjin, who also uses the name AJ Marley Cruz. Shinjin received roughly £27,000 from the £40,000 theft, while the second victim’s funds were later found in his crypto wallet.

Investigators linked Shinjin to four SIM-swap devices. In a SIM swap, criminals move a victim’s phone number to a SIM card they control, allowing them to receive text-message one-time passcodes used to access bank accounts or cryptocurrency wallets.

After an initial arrest in 2021, authorities detained Shinjin again when he returned from Dubai through Heathrow Airport in October 2023. He used proceeds from the thefts for luxury trips to Dubai, a high-end apartment and gold-plated teeth grills.

“This was a complex and calculated fraud that caused significant financial harm to a number of victims,” Detective Constable Simon Ardeman said. “SIM-swap fraud is a sophisticated and increasingly concerning form of offending, and this case demonstrates the devastating consequences it can have for victims.”

Ardeman added: “This conviction sends a clear message that those who use technology to commit fraud will be brought to justice.”