Cybercriminal Linked to Notorious Scattered Spider Gang Gets 10-Year Sentence

A shocking turn of events has unfolded in the world of cybercrime, as a young Florida-based man, Noah Michael Urban, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his involvement in a notorious hacking group known as Scattered Spider. The group, also linked to a string of high-profile breaches at major organizations, including LastPass and DoorDash, had evaded law enforcement for years.

Urban, 20, was arrested in January 2024 and charged with five counts of aggravated identity theft for running a SIM swapping scheme that resulted in the theft of at least $800,000 in cryptocurrency from five different people between August 2022 and March 2023. In November 2024, Urban was also charged alongside four other individuals with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of conspiracy, and one count of aggravated identity theft in a California court.

The co-conspirators were accused of tricking employees across the US with phishing texts to steal login credentials, which were then used to break into company systems, steal sensitive data, and drain millions of dollars in cryptocurrency. These activities took place from at least September 2021 to April 2023. Urban pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count each of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in the California case.

In the Florida case, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Both cases brought against him resulted in the 10-year prison sentence, first reported by Florida-based local news outlet News 4 Jax on August 20. Under his plea deal, Urban committed to repaying all victims, even beyond the charges he admitted to. The agreement broke down the amounts owed to 59 individuals in both the Florida and California cases, totaling over $13m.

Urban was known by multiple aliases in the underground online world, including 'King Bob,' 'Anthony Ramirez,' 'Elijah,' 'Gustavo Fring,' and 'Sosa.' He was a core member of the hacking group behind the July 2022 breach at communication tool provider Twilio. According to independent cybersecurity reporter Brian Krebs, Urban was a key figure in the notorious Scattered Spider gang.

The MITRE ATT&CK website and the Fraunhofer-run Malpedia repository also associate 0ktapus and Scattered Spider as the same group. Scattered Spider has been involved with breaches at over 130 organizations, including LastPass, DoorDash, Mailchimp, Plex, Caesars Entertainment, MGM World, Marks & Spencer, and The Co-op.

For years, Urban was a prominent figure in 'The Com,' an online cybercrime hub where hackers flaunt social-engineering-driven hacks and linked to Scattered Spider. Krebs reported that 'King Bob' repeatedly boasted about stealing unreleased rap tracks, likely via SIM-swapping, then selling or leaking them on underground forums.

Urban is the first member of Scattered Spider to receive a prison sentence, marking a significant victory for law enforcement in their efforts to bring cybercriminals to justice. As investigators continue to unravel the complex web of hacking groups and cybercrime networks, it remains to be seen what other consequences Urban will face in the coming months.