Oregon man arrested for Polk County cryptocurrency theft
Patrick Hakim / Courtesy TBI
POLK COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) – An investigation across the country which involved a Polk County resident falling victim to a cryptocurrency theft resulted in an arrest on Tuesday.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Cybercrime and Digital Evidence Unit worked with the Albany Police Department in Oregon to arrest Patrick Samuel Hakim of Oregon.
The TBI began a cryptocurrency theft investigation from a Polk County resident back in May 2023.
According to the TBI, they were able to determine that from September 2022 through December 2023, on three separate occasions, the victim had funds stolen from an account. Funds stolen totaled about $330,000 in loss.
The stolen cryptocurrency was sent to multiple exchanges. Detectives traced the theft back to accounts belonging to Patrick Hakim of Albany, Oregon.
On January 26, the TBI received an arrest warrant for Hakim in the 10th Judicial District of Tennessee.
Hakim faces one count of theft of property of over $250,000.
On January 30, Albany Police Department detectives arrested Hakim and placed him into custody. He is being held in the Linn County, Oregon Jail while waiting for an extradition hearing.
The case is also being referred to the Linn County, Oregon District Attorney’s Office for consideration of local charges, including Computer Crime and Laundering a Monetary Instrument.
This case has involved different agencies across multiple states, including Oregon, Michigan, California and Virginia.
