FBI agents claim Robert Barr scammed digital cash from a top US Bitcoin broker, among a string of other offences, while he was living with his mum in Ayrshire.
US prosecutors say the 24-year-old stole the seven-figure sum from Reggie Middleton – a Boston-based cryptocurrency dealer and transferred it to a separate account.
He is said to have worked with two others in an intricate con known as “sim swapping”, where hackers trick mobile phone firms into handing over details of their customers’ SIM cards.
The fraudsters then hack into the cryptocurrency accounts of the users or their wallets.
The computer whizz kid is wanted in the state of Georgia for the scam, as well as another seven charges including money laundering, identity theft and wire fraud.
Mr Barr was arrested by Scottish Police in February 2021, after a request from the US, and was remanded in custody but then later freed on bail – but last week lost a legal bid at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to have the case thrown out.
While his mum and stepdad claim they knew nothing about his alleged crimes, one of his former friends revealed how the skilled techy was part of a group who called themselves “The Hackers” during his teenage years.
He said: “We used to play at hackers when we were younger, going into people’s social media accounts.
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“We were young, around 15-16ish, and, for me, it was fun. I liked things with fancy usernames so hacked…
