The country’s law authorities said this was the first robbery case in Scotland to involve tracking stolen cryptocurrency.
Police Scotland has charged John-Ross Rennie, a 29-year-old man from Lanarkshire, Scotland, with involvement in a massive crypto theft of 23.5 BTC (worth $1.38 million). Although not present at the crime scene, Rennie has been found guilty of supporting and benefiting from the theft. The attackers physically assaulted those at the crime scene and stole cars and other valuable items.
Rennie Steals 23.5 BTC
The robbery took place at an address in Blantyre, Lanarkshire, Scotland, in March 2020.
Three men who were Rennie’s partners invaded and assaulted a man in his home, forcing and threatening him with a machete to transfer his bitcoins to them. Fearfully, the victim processed the transaction, sending 23.5 BTC worth about $200,000 at the time. Currently, it is worth over $1.38 million.
Additionally, the invaders injured a woman in the home by repeatedly beating her with a Toblerone bar and throwing her into a bedroom. Before leaving the crime scene, one of the attackers threatened the lives of their victims, making a cutthroat gesture with the chocolate bar.
According to BBC, Rennie played a “pivotal role” in the attack even without coming to the crime scene. First, Rennie backed the attackers, training them to process the Bitcoin transaction.
After investigations, the police authority also discovered that the receiving Bitcoin address was linked to Rennie. He was a beneficiary of the crime. Although he didn’t plead guilty to supporting the thieves, he was sentenced for possessing stolen goods as he had spent more than 30% of the stolen funds on himself.
Police Take Action Against Rennie
Rennie has been convicted and given a community sentence for being the “technical brain” behind the invasion in Lanarkshire.
Rennie’s lawyer, Marco Guarino, pleaded with the court on his behalf, stating that he should not receive a prison sentence since this is his first conviction and he has children to care for. Moreover, he played a limited role in the robbery.
Considering these, Judge Lord Scott sentenced Rennie to 150 hours of unpaid work and a six-month supervision order. Additionally, the court seized the stolen cryptocurrency and converted it to physical cash.