Robert Barr admits directing $2.6m crypto raids from Saughton prison
Prosecutors say Robert Barr ran a gang from HMP Edinburgh that tried to steal more than $2.6m in crypto from a local entrepreneur, including a January break-in and an April attempt foiled by a video doorbell.
Key points
- Robert Barr pleaded guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh to involvement in serious organised crime between January and April 2024.
- Prosecutors said the target was an unnamed crypto entrepreneur whose holdings were believed to be worth over $2.6m, including $1.32m in a self-created digital coin.
- Intruders took a hardware wallet in a January 2024 break-in but could not access the assets without the PIN and recovery key phrase.
- A second attempt on 17 April 2024 failed when the homeowner saw two men and his wife used a video doorbell app; the suspects fled.
- Sean Favier also pleaded guilty to attending the Midlothian home to commit robbery; Judge Lord Cubie deferred sentencing and both men remain in custody.
A cybercriminal and organised crime boss directed a plot to steal more than $2.6m in cryptocurrency while he was locked up in Edinburgh's Saughton prison, prosecutors said this week. Robert Barr pleaded guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh to involvement in serious organised crime between January and April 2024, according to Bitcoin.com News.
Prosecutors described Barr as the head of a syndicate able to mount sophisticated cyber-theft of a kind rarely seen in mainstream criminal investigations. At the time he was serving sentences for fraud and for possessing an illicit mobile phone at HMP Edinburgh, the court heard.
The target was an unnamed local cryptocurrency entrepreneur who co-founded a startup and had invested in crypto since 2014. David Dickson, for the prosecution, told the court that Barr believed the victim's holdings were worth more than $2.6m, or £2m, including $1.32m in a self-created digital coin.
Plotting behind bars
In a January 2024 break-in, intruders stole a physical cryptocurrency hardware wallet. The assets stayed secure because the thieves did not have the PIN or the recovery key phrase, Dickson said. Barr then arranged a second raid on the same property in April.
For that attempt, prosecutors said, Barr told associates how to gain remote access to the victim's computers using remote desktop software. In a message read to the court he wrote that they would need to get the man onto his PC quickly and download AnyDesk, and he offered to join via Telegram to guide the transfer of funds.
The second attempt failed on 17 April 2024. The homeowner spotted two men and told his wife not to open the door; when she spoke through a video doorbell app, the suspects noticed the camera, tried to cover their faces and fled, the court heard.
Hardware wallet stolen
An illicit phone was seized from Barr's cell on 25 June 2024, and forensic analysis showed extensive evidence that he organised and offered technical support for crypto-theft schemes, prosecutors said. An accomplice, Sean Favier, also pleaded guilty to attending the Midlothian home to commit robbery and steal crypto assets. Judge Lord Cubie deferred sentencing for both men pending background reports, and both remain remanded in custody.