The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Anton Peraire-Bueno and James Peraire-Bueno, both MIT graduates, for exploiting a vulnerability in Ethereum's MEV-Boost system to steal $25 million in cryptocurrency. The brothers, arrested in May 2024, used their validator nodes to intercept and repackage profitable MEV transactions, redirecting the proceeds to their wallets. They also attempted to launder the stolen assets and threatened victims with exposure unless ransoms were paid. This case marks the first U.S. criminal prosecution related to MEV attacks, underscoring the legal risks of exploiting blockchain vulnerabilities.