Cybercriminal Pleads Guilty in Jacksonville Court
A 20-year-old man from Palm Coast, Noah Urban, has admitted guilt in a federal courtroom in Jacksonville, Florida, in connection with a significant cybercrime syndicate. He faces charges including conspiracy and wire fraud, stemming from two distinct federal cases: one that emerged in Florida in January 2024 and another announced in Southern California in November of the previous year. In the Florida proceedings, Urban acknowledged guilt to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, as well as individual counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. In the California case, he also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Details of the Florida Case
In the Florida case, Urban was accused of illegally acquiring over $800,000 in cryptocurrency from five victims between August 2022 and March 2023. Prosecutors outlined that Urban and his accomplices would steal personal information from victims and orchestrate a transfer of their cell phone numbers to devices under their control. This approach allowed them to gain access to the victims’ cryptocurrency accounts by resetting passwords and verifying changes through text messages. This method, known as “SIM swapping,” has become a prevalent technique in cybercrime.
Plea Agreement and Restitution
Urban’s plea deal requires him to compensate all victims, detailing specific amounts owed in both the Florida and California cases, totaling over $13 million across 59 individuals. Notably, some restitution amounts pertained to individuals not directly victimized by Urban’s admitted crimes, but these figures were accepted as part of the plea agreement. Typically, restitution is confined to crimes for which a defendant has pleaded guilty, but Urban opted to waive this limitation in his case.
Connection to Scattered Spider
Urban, who has been identified by various aliases such as “King Bob,” referencing the animated film “Minions,” and “Gustavo Fring,” a character from the series “Breaking Bad,” is linked to a group called “Scattered Spider.” Federal cybersecurity officials report that this group specifically targets large corporations and their IT support services. Authorities have warned that members of Scattered Spider have employed tactics such as impersonating IT staff through phone calls or texts to extract login information from employees and convincing them to run remote access tools, thereby gaining unauthorized access to company networks.
Phishing Scheme in California
In November 2024, prosecutors in Los Angeles revealed that Urban was among five individuals charged with orchestrating a scheme that utilized phishing text messages to target businesses. This group allegedly gained employee login credentials and subsequently stole confidential company data. Reports indicate that they employed phishing tactics to infiltrate virtual currency accounts, resulting in the theft of millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency.
Phishing Operations Timeline
According to statements from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the defendants involved in the California case executed phishing attacks from September 2021 to April 2023. The fraudulent messages typically indicated that employee accounts were about to be deactivated and included links to deceptive phishing websites designed to appear legitimate. Prosecutors stated that the data stolen during these attacks included proprietary work products, intellectual property, and personal identifiable information like login credentials and contact details. This stolen information was then used, alongside other data, to access victims’ cryptocurrency accounts, leading to substantial financial losses.
Forfeiture of Assets
Urban’s plea agreement also stipulates a list of assets he must forfeit, encompassing cash, cryptocurrency, and physical possessions. He is set to surrender holdings of various cryptocurrencies such as Dai, Ethereum, Monero, Bitcoin, and Ripple, all stored in different wallets. Presently, the value of Dai is approximately $1.3 million, with a similar valuation for a significant portion of his Ethereum assets. Additionally, he will forfeit $27,702 in cash seized from a residence in Palm Coast, along with assorted jewelry and six watches.
Criminal Earnings and Future Sentencing
In a May 2023 interview with authorities, Urban estimated that he personally profited “several million dollars” from cryptocurrency theft between January 2021 and March 2023, claiming involvement in the theft of additional millions more. He revealed that most of his earnings were lost on various online gambling platforms, although he had “a few million” stored on his desktop computer. When his computer was confiscated in March 2023, it contained roughly $2.89 million in cryptocurrency assets, which, according to the plea agreement, had appreciated in value to approximately $3.67 million by October 2024 due to market fluctuations. A sentencing date has yet to be established but is anticipated to occur in about 75 days. Prior to sentencing, the court’s probation office will compile a pre-sentencing report, which will provide a recommended sentencing range in accordance with federal guidelines.
