A British criminal planned to steal 2.7 million dollars in cryptocurrency while in prison and was sentenced to 8 years

According to The Block, the High Court of Scotland sentenced Robert Barr to eight years in prison for remotely orchestrating a theft of approximately £2 million (about $2.7 million) in cryptocurrency while serving his sentence in Edinburgh prison. Two accomplices, Iain Doyle and Sean Favier, received sentences of five years and four years, respectively; all three had previously pleaded guilty to involvement in organized serious crime.

The court revealed the method of operation: Barr had his accomplices enter the victim's home and asked the homeowner to download the remote control software AnyDesk, which he then used from prison to control the couple's computer, inputting a receiving address he controlled to transfer funds from the victim's wallet. On the evening of April 17, 2024, around 11:30 PM, Favier and Doyle arrived at the couple's residence but were captured on the doorbell camera; the homeowner refused to open the door, and the two were unable to enter, resulting in a failed plan.

Judge Lord Cubie described this as "a crime that combines 21st-century computer technology with old-fashioned burglary." On June 25, 2024, police seized Barr's mobile phone and discovered detailed messages directing his two accomplices; the judge noted that Barr had previously served 21 months for cryptocurrency-related fraud but organized crime again while in prison, which constituted "significant aggravating circumstances." If convicted at trial, he should have received a sentence of eight years and ten months. Barr is scheduled to attend a serious crime prevention order hearing on November 17.