A Hamilton man carried out one of Canada’s largest SIM-swap crypto heists when he was 17, according to Ontario court filings. He was later convicted in the United States for a different 2022 NFT scam scheme and sentenced to one year in federal prison. U.S. prosecutors claim the 2022 scheme hacked into dozens of high-profile X (formerly Twitter) accounts, tricked followers into approving transactions on spoofed NFT sites, and scammed more than 200 victims out of around $794,000.
The case bridges two chapters of cybercrime: a record-setting SIM-swap heist in 2020 that drained an entrepreneur’s wallets of tens of millions of dollars, and a 2022 phishing spree that targeted the followers of hacked X accounts. Together, they form the story of a brilliant but troubled young man who continued to offend even after he was arrested, bailed, and sentenced as a youth in Canada.
The SIM-swap that drained a whale
In February 2020, the teen targeted American entrepreneur Josh Jones. By impersonating him with a cellphone provider, he convinced a customer service agent to switch Jones’s number to a new SIM card. With texts and authentication codes redirected, he reset passwords and gained entry to wallets holding more than 1,500 Bitcoin and tens of thousands of Bitcoin Cash.
Bail, apology, and relapse
Arrested in May 2020, he spent about a year in pretrial custody before appearing in a Hamilton courtroom. His lawyer described him as a shy, intelligent teen with low self-esteem who lived largely online. He apologized, telling the judge he wanted to move in a positive direction.
He was sentenced to probation and ordered to repay about $2.5 million of the stolen funds that authorities recovered. In May 2022, he was released on bail, but prosecutors say that almost immediately he returned to cybercrime.
The 2022 X account scam
Working with others, he hijacked high-profile X accounts belonging to artists and influencers. They persuaded platform representatives to change account email addresses, then posted fraudulent “NFT giveaway” messages. Followers were directed to convincing but fake sites where they unknowingly approved wallet permissions, allowing the hackers to steal their assets.
The scheme ran only a few weeks but gained nearly US$794,000. Court filings note he was living in his father’s basement and struggling with narcotics use introduced during juvenile detention, with no ongoing treatment or supervision in place.
Arrest abroad and U.S. sentence
According to the Department of Justice, the FBI, Hamilton police, and international agencies tracked the case across borders. In March 2025, he was arrested in Portugal and extradited to Virginia. There, he pled guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and identity-related charges.
He was sentenced to one year in federal prison, ordered to pay roughly US$248,000 in restitution, and fined another US$60,000. After serving his sentence, he is expected to be deported back to Canada. His U.S. lawyer argued that he is “painfully aware” of his mistakes and, for the first time, understands what he stands to lose.
Lessons from a double downfall
Much of the stolen crypto from 2020 remains unaccounted for, highlighting how laundering through mixers and exchanges can frustrate investigators. The case also underscores systemic weaknesses: telecom carriers vulnerable to social engineering, social-media accounts prone to takeover, and the challenges of supervising young offenders with technical skills but limited support systems.
For victims, restitution covers only a fraction of their losses. For policymakers, the saga raises tough questions about how to balance youth protections with accountability in an era when a teenager with a phone can commit multimillion-dollar crimes.
