A 20-year-old man linked to the Scattered Spider cybercrime group has pleaded guilty to charges filed in Florida and California.
Noah Urban, a 20-year-old from Palm Coast, pleaded guilty to conspiracy, wire fraud, and identity theft in two federal cases, one in Florida and another in California.
“In the California case, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.” reported News4Jax. “In the Florida case, Urban was accused of stealing at least $800,000 in cryptocurrency from five different victims between August 2022 and March 2023.”
The charges relate to his alleged role in the Scattered Spider cybercrime group (also known as UNC3944, 0ktapus). Urban admitted to exporting stolen data and helping run sophisticated phishing and fraud operations across multiple states.
The cybercrime group Scattered Spider is suspected of hacking into hundreds of organizations over the past two years, including Twilio, LastPass, DoorDash, and Mailchimp.
Scattered Spider members are part of a broader cybercriminal community called “The Com,” where hackers brag about high-profile cyber thefts, typically initiated through social engineering tactics like phone, email, or SMS scams to gain access to corporate networks.
In January 2024, U.S. authorities arrested Noah Michael Urban, known online as “Sosa” and “King Bob,” suspected of being a member of the Scattered Spider cybercriminal group. He was accused of stealing at least $800,000 from five victims between August 2022 and March 2023. Urban, known online as “Sosa” and “King Bob,” is linked to the same group that hacked Twilio and other companies in 2022.
Prosecutors revealed that Urban and co-conspirators stole victims’ personal info and used SIM swapping to reset crypto account passwords and drain funds.
Urban initially pleaded not guilty, but later entered a plea deal in both California and Florida cases. He admitted guilt to conspiracy, wire fraud, and ID theft.
“Urban, who is believed to have been a member of Scattered Spider and was better known online as “King Bob” but who also used aliases of “Sosa,” “Elijah,” and “Gustavo Fring,” has agreed to pay approximately $13 million in restitution to victims in the Florida case and the California case.” reads Urban’s Plea Agreement. “He also faces a long prison term that will have an add-on sentence for aggravated identity theft because sentencing for aggravated identity theft cannot be served concurrently with the sentence for other crimes and must be served as a two-year sentence after any other sentence is served.”
Urban’s hacking shook the music industry by leaking unreleased tracks from artists like Playboi Carti, Ariana Grande, and Lil Uzi Vert. The leaks disrupted album plans and caused major financial and emotional damage. Ariana Grande expressed her frustration publicly, highlighting the personal toll of the breach. The case illustrates the real-world impact of cybercrime on artists.
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Pierluigi Paganini
(SecurityAffairs – hacking, Noah Urban)
