Prison-Based Plot to Steal $2.7 Million in Crypto Assets; UK Ringleader Sentenced to 8 Years

TechFlow, November 11 — According to The Block, the High Court of Justiciary in Scotland sentenced Robert Barr to 8 years in prison for remotely orchestrating a crypto asset theft worth about £2 million (about $2.7 million) while serving a sentence at Edinburgh Prison. Two accomplices in the same case, Iain Doyle and Sean Favier, were sentenced to 5 and 4 years respectively. All three had previously pleaded guilty to participating in serious organized crime. The court disclosed the modus operandi: Barr directed accomplices to enter the victims' home and asked the homeowner to download the remote-control software AnyDesk, then operated the couple's computer from prison, entered a receiving address under his control, and transferred funds from the victims' wallets. At around 11:30 p.m. on April 17, 2024, Favier and Doyle arrived at the couple's residence but were captured by a doorbell camera; the homeowner refused to open the door, and the two failed to enter, causing the plan to fail. Judge Lord Cubie called it 'a crime combining 21st-century computer technology with old-fashioned burglary.' On June 25, 2024, police seized Barr's mobile phone and found detailed messages in which he directed his two accomplices; the judge noted that Barr had already served 21 months for crypto-related fraud but organized further crime while in prison, constituting a 'significant aggravating factor,' and would have been sentenced to 8 years and 10 months if convicted at trial. Barr will attend a hearing for a serious crime prevention order on November 17.

Source: TechFlow