British hacker who swindled £2m in crypto from US businessman to purchase his mom a diamond necklace is jailed
A British hacker who stole £2 million in cryptocurrency from an American businessman so he could buy his mother a diamond necklace has been jailed.
Corey De Rose, 26, has been handed a 28 months prison sentence after he targeted Reggie Middleton, CEO of crypto-currency technology company Veritaseum.
Using his ill-gotten gains, De Rose wanted to buy his mother, Claire, a diamond necklace and give her £5,000 in cash from his dodgy earnings, Southwark Crown Court heard.
When he was just 18-years-old De Rose stole Mr Middleton’s identity and cryptocurrency wallet using a technique called ‘Sim Hijacking’.
‘Sim Hijacking’ is a hacking technique that involves capturing a person’s identity through their mobile phone provider, giving the hacker control of the phone for them to steal bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
De Rose targeted Mr Middleton’s mobile phone provider, T-Mobile, forcing a SIM swap without his knowledge, Southwark Crown Court heard.
The father-of-one researched targets he believed had large amounts of cryptocurrency through news articles, corporate announcements and social media accounts.
De Ros previously escaped being extradited to the US in 2021 after a judge ruled it would impact his mental health as he suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome.
Corey De Rose (pictured), 26, has been handed a 28 months prison sentence after he targeted Reggie Middleton, CEO of crypto-currency technology company Veritaseum
Using his ill-gotten gains, De Rose wanted to buy his mother, Claire (pictured), a diamond necklace and give her £5,000 in cash from his dodgy earnings, Southwark Crown Court heard
Jack Talbot, prosecuting, said: ‘As a group they took control of various online accounts.
‘The market value of the theft equated to £6.5 million which was reflected in the charge to which the defendant pleaded guilty.’
The prosecutor continued: ‘Mr Rose was responsible for researching victims and obtaining private information.
‘Mr Middleton’s phone was compromised by the hackers. Chat logs from Skype and Discord provide compelling evidence to the doxing of Mr Middleton.
‘The defendant met fellow hackers across Scotland, Canada and the US through gaming platforms to target victims.
‘Tactics used to obtain personal information included the theft of credit reports and social security numbers.’
De Rose appeared in the dock wearing a blue jumper with grey tracksuit bottoms.
He earlier pleaded guilty to one count of theft based on a plea that he stole just over £2 million.
De Rose told the court he wanted to buy his mother, Claire, a diamond necklace and give her £5,000 in cash from his dodgy earnings.
Tim Owen, KC, defending, asked for a suspended sentence and said De Rose had been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome and has a history of self-harm.
But sentencing, Judge Gregory Perrins told De Rose: ‘You have no job and no legitimate income.
‘You have said you have no intention of getting a proper job. You appear to live a life devoid of structure and purpose. You are unable to fully empathise.’
The judge added: ‘This was a relatively small group all of whom were paid substantial amounts of money for their roles. You were plainly right at the heart of this group.
‘This was offending on an international scale which was extremely well planned for which you were richly rewarded.
‘None of the money has been recovered, notwithstanding the number of years that have passed.’
De Rose, of Ilford in east London, wept and gave a love heart gesture to his mother as he was led to the cells.
