**U.S. Seeks to Extradite Saskatoon Man Accused of Hacking Educational Systems to Mine Crypto**

The U.S. criminal justice system is seeking the extradition of Ryan James Roach, a 34-year-old Saskatoon man accused of hacking into American university systems to illegally use their supercomputers for cryptocurrency mining.

Roach allegedly conspired with another Canadian man in Ontario to gain unauthorized access to university computer networks, stealing login credentials and installing malware to hack into remote servers. The supercomputing power was then redirected to mine a crypto coin called Electroneum.

According to court documents reviewed by CBC, U.S. prosecutors allege that Roach's actions resulted in approximately $337,000 US in damages for an undisclosed educational institution, including the cost of shutting down systems, conducting forensic analysis, and rebuilding compromised infrastructure.

**Judge to Decide on Extradition**

A Saskatoon King's Bench judge will decide whether the extradition can proceed, weighing whether U.S. evidence meets Canada's extradition test and whether the alleged conduct would be enough for Roach to be charged in Canada.

Roach maintains his innocence, according to his lawyer, Patricia Farnese. In a statement, Farnese said that her client wants people to know he did not commit the crime he is accused of.

**Expert Analysis**

Andreas Park, a professor at the University of Toronto who studies blockchain systems, explained that supercomputers are clusters of computers designed to handle large scientific workloads. In this case, they are most likely university supercomputers being used for research.

"It's like taking your neighbor's car and driving it as an Uber," Park said. "That's not allowed, that's abuse of public resources."

**Digital Trail Leads to Roach**

According to court filings, investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) traced a digital trail linking the alleged hack to Roach. The documents say that investigators analyzed IP addresses, server logs, email accounts, and hosting records, alleging stolen credentials and malware were used to access university supercomputers remotely.

**Extradition Hearing Scheduled**

The extradition hearing is set for April 3 in Saskatoon, where a judge will determine whether U.S. evidence meets Canada's extradition test and whether the alleged conduct would be enough for Roach to be charged in Canada.

If the judge commits Roach for extradition, the final decision on whether he is surrendered to the U.S. rests with Canada's federal justice minister.

**U.S. Justice Department Declines Comment**

An email from the U.S. justice department declined to comment on the case, citing ongoing litigation.