Teen | Crypto

Peter Stokes, 19, has been charged in the US for allegedly taking part in a hacking group’s unsuccessful $8 million crypto ransom scheme. A teenager suspected of involvement with the “Scattered Spider” hacking group has been extradited to the US over his alleged role in an $8 million crypto ransom. The US Justice Department said on Wednesday that Peter Stokes, a 19-year-old dual US-Estonian national, was arrested in Finland in April on an Interpol Red Notice and extradited to the US last week to appear in a Chicago federal court on Tuesday. A criminal complaint unsealed in court accused Stokes and others of breaching a luxury jewelry retailer’s computer system in May 2025 to steal data and demand a ransom payment of $8 million in crypto. The retailer managed to evict them from the network and did not pay the ransom, but suffered $2 million in disruption damages, according to the complaint. Read more

Trenton Richard Johnston was arrested in March during a traffic stop for speeding, but investigators soon found he was involved in a wider fraud scheme. A Canadian teen stole more than $13 million in crypto through social engineering scams to pay for an “exotic lifestyle” in Miami and Los Angeles, including buying luxury cars, jewelry and taking private jet trips, US prosecutors say. In May, US prosecutors charged then-19-year-old Trenton Richard Johnston for a scheme in which he and co-conspirators impersonated Google, Trezor and other crypto firm employees to gain access to victims’ crypto. On Tuesday, Johnston, now 20, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, avoiding further charges that could have resulted in a maximum sentence of up to 40 years in prison.  Read more