Scottish man linked to hacking group which 'stole millions in crypto' extradited to US from Spain

A Scottish man accused of being part of a hacking group which allegedly stole millions of dollars in cryptocurrency has reportedly been extradited to the United States from Spain.

Tyler Robert Buchanan, 23, from the UK, was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

Buchanan was arrested on May 31, 2024, at an airport in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, as he attempted to board a flight to Naples, the Spanish National Police said.

They claimed he was part of an organised group which gained control of 391 bitcoins worth approximately $27m (£20m).

An International Arrest Warrant (IAR) had been issued against him by a court in the Central District of California, the Policia Nacional said in a statement.

Bloomberg now reports the 23-year-old was detained in California after a court appearance on Thursday following his extradition from Spain on Wednesday.

The hacking group are alleged to have targeted employees of companies across the US with phishing text messages and then used the harvested employee credentials to log in and steal non-public company data and information and to hack into virtual currency accounts to steal millions of dollars in cryptocurrency.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said last year if convicted, each defendant would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, up to five years in federal prison for the conspiracy count, and a mandatory two-year consecutive prison sentence for aggravated identity theft.

Officials said that Buchanan would also face up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud count.

Noah Urban, 20, of Florida, Joel Evans, 25, of North Carolina, Ahmed Elbadawy, 23, and Evans Osiebo, 20, from Texas, were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of conspiracy, and one count of aggravated identity theft.

United States attorney Martin Estrada said last year: “We allege that this group of cybercriminals perpetrated a sophisticated scheme to steal intellectual property and proprietary information worth tens of millions of dollars and steal personal information belonging to hundreds of thousands of individuals.

“As this case shows, phishing and hacking has become increasingly sophisticated and can result in enormous losses. If something about the text or email you received or website you’re viewing seems off, it probably is.”

Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office added: “The defendants allegedly preyed on unsuspecting victims in this phishing scheme and used their personal information as a gateway to steal millions in their cryptocurrency accounts.

“These types of fraudulent solicitations are ubiquitous and rob American victims of their hard-earned money with the click of a mouse.

“I’m proud of our stellar cyber agents whose work led to the identification of the alleged schemers who are facing significant prison time if convicted.”

The US Justice Department and the US Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California have been contacted for comment.