UK Mastermind Sentenced to 8 Years for Planning $2.7 Million Crypto Theft from Prison

According to TechFlow, on November 11, The Block reported that Scotland’s High Court sentenced Robert Barr to eight years in prison for remotely orchestrating a crypto asset theft worth approximately £2 million (roughly $2.7 million) while serving a sentence at Edinburgh Prison. Two accomplices in the same case, Iain Doyle and Sean Favier, were sentenced to five and four years, respectively. All three had previously pleaded guilty to participating in serious organized crime.

The modus operandi disclosed by the court involved Barr instructing his accomplices to gain entry to the victims’ home and have the homeowners download the remote desktop software AnyDesk. Barr would then control the couple’s computer from prison, entering a receiving address he controlled to transfer funds from their wallets. At approximately 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, preventing their entry and causing the plot to fail.

Judge Lord Cubie described it as a “crime combining 21st-century computer technology with old-fashioned burglary.” On June 25, 2024, police confiscated Barr’s phone, uncovering detailed messages showing him directing the two accomplices. The judge noted that Barr had already served 21 months for a prior crypto-related fraud conviction, yet orchestrated another crime from within prison—an act deemed a “significant aggravating factor.” Had he been convicted at trial, the sentence would have been eight years and ten months. Barr is scheduled to appear at a Serious Crime Prevention Programme hearing on November 17.