2.7 Million USDT in 9 Weeks: How a Team of Prisoners Made a Fortune from Crypto While Being in Prison 24/7

By: Drew Harlan | Crypto Stories | Published: April 2025

A maximum security prison, Georgia.

A stone giant with watchtowers in the corners, three rows of barbed wire, and blinding spotlights – a place where dreams die and time passes so freaking slowly.

But it was here, in a concrete cell where only death or humility seemed possible, that four prisoners found a way to earn $2,728,000 on cryptocurrency exchanges… in 6 weeks.

Ray was 39. The guy used to work as an electrician, an HVAC assembler, and a driver. He was now a librarian with a number instead of a last name and 14 years spent in prison for armed robbery.

The man was in prison for his mistake. One night, one gun, and one ATM were enough. Ray and his younger brother had no other choice. Their mother died, their rent debts were growing, and Ray’s brother had long needed an operation, rehabilitation, and expensive drugs that no free clinic had.

It all went wrong – they got caught.

14 years later, a newcomer came to the block.

He was tall and confident, with a cold look. His name was Marco.

Some prisoners said Marco used to launder money through crypto exchanges and crypto mixers for more than one drug cartel and even for some government managers. His dossier had many black spots. No one knew why he was in prison, but there were rumors he was not just a criminal – he was a dangerously intelligent financial genius.

For some reason, he approached Ray first.

– Are you a librarian? – he asked on the third day, sitting down opposite.

– Yes.

– Do you have access to financial magazines like The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Bloomberg, or The Economist? Maybe old issues or archives.

– I can find them.

That was how their relationship began among book dust, under the cameras, and the eyes of security.

A week later, Marco handed Ray old pages with notes and charts. In new magazines, he circled the words “arbitrage,” “liquidity,” “exchanges,” “rates,” “monitoring,” “cryptocurrencies,” etc. At first, Ray found it very difficult. But he was intrigued and waited for the next step, especially knowing the past of the financial genius. Ray saw it as a chance, so he persistently studied the topic.

A few weeks later, when handing the pages, Marco said:

– I know how to do it. Even here, in prison. But I need you and other people.

– What to do? What other people?

– You have the best motivation. And I have brains. I know how to use it and make a few million dollars.

The Call of Blood

Ray dreamed of breaking free, not for himself but for his younger brother – Travis.

After Ray’s arrest, Travis tried to survive alone. But Ray’s “ex-friends” – a gang from Atlanta, were sure the guy would go to the police after another robbery. They grabbed him, doused him with gasoline, and set him on fire. His body burned for 25-30 seconds while Travis was rolling on the ground and tearing off his clothes.

He survived. But his face got burned, his hands were like parchment, and he suffered severe fourth-degree burns. He needed transplantations, recovery, and medication in addition to chemotherapy. Those were hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Ray had nothing… except willpower. And the only chance to save his brother.

– If you help me save my brother, I will be loyal to you for the rest of my life and do everything you ask, – he told Marco.

The man nodded:

– We will do it.

Signal

Lem got a contraband phone. He was a former broker convicted of an inside and knew how to get everything they needed.

They could catch a signal in the laundry and the canteen when the camera turned away. They used a new iPhone, VPN, virtual cards, drop accounts on exchanges with KYC, and 3 stable crypto scanners to find the difference in rates across crypto exchanges:

tangledbits.com, vaultedmind.com, and shadedpulse.com

The scheme was simple as pie:

1. Danny (an IT specialist) found forks – the difference in prices across exchanges.

2. Ray and Marco transmitted signals to the outside world – to their acquaintances, wives, and friends.

3. On the outside, people made deals on different exchanges using signals from prison.

4. They reinvested the profits and increased their turnover.

Not a single account accepted more than $49,000. The guys did it all through friends, their friends’ friends, private P2P exchanges, and drop cards to hack the limits.

It was an honest business, although in prison and with a complex financial scheme. Crypto arbitrage is a regular speculative income on rate differences, which is legal. However, not in prison, where almost nothing is allowed.

The Smell of Money

First week – 37 deals.

Profit: $18,300.

Except for Marco, who “found” the start-up capital on the outside, no one believed their eyes.

Everything went as planned.

Second week – 42 deals. Profit: $46,500.

Third week – in 10 minutes, they made 3 great deals from increased volatility and ran three circles with a difference of +9.2%, 4.7%, and 2.6%. Together with other 40-50 deals, the total profit was almost $160,000.

– I’ve never been happier in my entire life! – Ray wrote later in his diary.

Two weeks later, the team had about $340,000 in turnover.

In the sixth week, something everyone had been afraid of happened.

The guards found another prisoner’s phone. They raised the alarm. They checked all the cells and interrogated everyone one by one.

Ray’s stomach twisted with fear. Their phone was in the ventilation behind the boiler.

The team shut down its activities for 4 days. During that time, bad news arrived:

One of the performers’ “friends” on the outside – Marcus – withdrew $200,000 from the drop cards and disappeared.

Ray was furious. His wife was in tears. The others were thinking up a plan for revenge. The situation was tense.

Marco kept silent and smiled. At night, he said:

– It was a risk. There is always a risk. Money means excitement. We all have a price. But we are not a casino. We’re a system. So, we will restore our deposit in 1-2 weeks. We have 140,000 USDT left. We can still make a million. I will take care of Marcus. Calm down and continue working.

On the fifth day, it all continued.

The phone was intact.

The Internet worked.

The team clenched fists.

During the 7th week, they made about 50 deals and almost returned the stolen money. The balance was $270,000. High volatility and sharp movements of Bitcoin did the trick. Crypto scanners provided a difference of 12-13% for some altcoins.

In the 8th week, thanks to luck and rare transactions with such incredible profitability, the prisoners managed to triple their deposit. But there was one situation when everything was at stake.

At the moment of sending an important message to his wife about entering the 3rd circle with the same coin – Ray’s Internet went out. The entire prison was de-energized due to overload – it was summer, and air conditioners couldn’t withstand the heat.

They spent fourteen hours in the dark, praying that Bitcoin wouldn’t tip the market further down, while all the news hinted at that.

Marco was looking at the floor. Ray – at the ceiling. They were just silent.

A day later, when they got to the phone, they saw that Ray’s wife had sent them an SMS with the following text:

“+8.4% in a day”

They were seething with emotions of joy that were hard to hide. They hugged like family.

In the 9th week, the team’s total deposit was 2,728,000 USDT.

Ray didn’t want to talk about who had the most shares in the team, but he made it clear that Marco’s share was the largest, which was logical and fair.

“When I got out, I was told he saved my brother before we started assembling a team. Almost 10 months ago. Marco sent money to my wife for my brother’s treatment. It was like he knew it all. I was lucky enough to be in the same prison with such a kind and quietly reliable guy. Looking back now, I realize I am so happy my life is like that and not otherwise.”

________________________________________

Release

After 6 months, Ray received parole.

Of course, he officially had no cent. But his wife, relatives, and friends had new bank accounts, with Ray’s $320,000 to start a new, happy life. The main thing was that he had the skills to earn big, honest money.

Today, Ray manages Marco’s assets and continues to build the guys’ shared history. They will meet again in 8 years outside the prison. By that time, Bitcoin will probably cost over $1,000,000.

It’s not just an exciting story about making money on crypto but a challenge for all of us. Ray’s motivation and faith in those hopeless conditions can cause admiration.

“The main thing is to get the right knowledge, develop a system, and set a goal. Everything else is available on YouTube, Discord, X, and, of course, vaultedmind.com, tangledbits.com, and shadedpulse.com,” Ray said, finishing this interview.