Share this article
Man Offering Hacking Services for Bitcoin Gets 20-Month Jail Sentence
A British man has been handed jail time and ordered to forfeit over £400,000 ($487,000) for offering hacking services and stolen data for crypto.
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 11:20 a.m. Published Aug 16, 2019, 1:10 p.m.
Make us preferred on Google
A British man has been handed 20 months in jail and ordered to forfeit over £400,000 ($487,000) for offering hacking services and stolen private data in return for cryptocurrency.
Nineteen-year-old Elliot Gunton was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court on Friday, having pleaded guilty at a previous hearing, according to a local police news report.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Police had found evidence on Gunton's laptop that he had "offered to supply compromised personal data of individuals to others for them to use for criminal purposes". The information included mobile phone numbers which could be used to intercept calls and texts in order to commit crimes.
Gunton was further discovered to be advertising hacking services in exchange for $3,000 in bitcoin.
While he had taken efforts to conceal his activity, police found portions of online chats in which Gunton discussed his criminal activity. Officers also tracked and seized £275,000 ($335,000) in cryptocurrency held by Gunton.
Probably unwisely, he had tweeted via one of his online identities – "@Gambler" – saying, “having lots of money is cool….but having lots of money without people knowing is cooler”.
The police said they had discovered the criminal activity during a routine visit to ensure Gunton was complying with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order imposed in 2016 for earlier offences.
Detective Sergeant Mark Stratford said:
“Gunton was exploiting the personal data of innocent businesses and people in order to make a considerable profit but he did not succeed in hiding all of his ill-gotten gains which enabled us to seize hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of Bitcoin."
Gunton was charged with breaching the Sexual Harm Prevention Order, hacking offences and money laundering, the police report said.
While sentenced to 20 months jail time, Gunton was immediately released as he had already served his sentence while in custody.
However, he must hand over £407,359 in ill-gotten gains and must comply with a 3.5 year Community Behaviour Order restricting his use of the internet, browsers, VPNs and cloud storage. He must also not use cryptocurrency, digital wallets or exchanges without informing police and passing over all details and addresses.
U.K. police image via Shutterstock
More For You
Pudgy Penguins is building a multi-vertical consumer IP platform — combining phygital products, games, NFTs and PENGU to monetize culture at scale.
What to know:
Pudgy Penguins is emerging as one of the strongest NFT-native brands of this cycle, shifting from speculative “digital luxury goods” into a multi-vertical consumer IP platform. Its strategy is to acquire users through mainstream channels first; toys, retail partnerships and viral media, then onboard them into Web3 through games, NFTs and the PENGU token.
The ecosystem now spans phygital products (> $13M retail sales and >1M units sold), games and experiences (Pudgy Party surpassed 500k downloads in two weeks), and a widely distributed token (airdropped to 6M+ wallets). While the market is currently pricing Pudgy at a premium relative to traditional IP peers, sustained success depends on execution across retail expansion, gaming adoption and deeper token utility.
More For You
BTC, ETH, SOL move higher as markets eye Fed, Mag 7 earnings and weaker dollar
Crypto prices steadied as traders looked past short-term volatility with positioning shifting to the Fed, megacap earnings and a weakening dollar.
What to know:
- Bitcoin hovered just below $89,000 in Asian trading, posting modest gains in a narrow range as traders awaited a key Federal Reserve decision.
- A weaker U.S. dollar and record-setting global equity markets, led by technology shares and AI optimism, have supported risk assets but crypto has lagged metals like gold and silver.
- Analysts say bitcoin's rebound from the $86,000–$87,000 zone reflects reduced leverage and short-term stabilization rather than strong momentum as markets brace for Fed guidance and major tech earnings.
Top Stories
