Robert Barr, 29, received an eight-year prison sentence from Scotland’s High Court of Justiciary for orchestrating a failed £2 million cryptocurrency theft while incarcerated at HMP Edinburgh. The judge also sentenced Sean Favier, 26, to four years and Iain Doyle, 37, to five years after the trio pleaded guilty to involvement in serious organized crime. Barr was already serving a 21-month term for prior crypto fraud when he directed this new operation from his cell. Lord Cubie called the scheme "a crime which married 21st century computer sophistication with old fashioned housebreaking," noting that Barr used "plainly illicit means" to maintain contact online during his imprisonment.
The Remote Access Scheme
The plot required Favier and Doyle to gain entry to a victim’s home in Midlothian near Edinburgh and force the homeowner to install AnyDesk software. This remote-access tool would have allowed Barr to control the computer from prison and transfer funds directly into wallets under his control. The target was a co-founder of a crypto startup who did not publicly advertise his holdings but followed crypto-related accounts on social media. Investigators reconstructed months of preparation, including reconnaissance images and messages on Barr’s phone that "plainly contemplated threats and/or violence." Barr’s associates had previously burgled the house in January 2024 and stolen a crypto wallet, but they could not access the funds without its PIN.
Failure and Sentencing Details
Favier and Doyle arrived at the couple’s home around 11:30 p.m. on April 17, 2024, but the occupants spotted them on their doorbell camera and refused to open the door. One of the men looked into the lens and asked whether there was a camera in front of him before the pair left without gaining entry. The judge stated that the plot was only frustrated because the victims "had the sense not to open their front door" to unknown men with covered faces. Prosecutors described Barr as a "sophisticated cybercriminal" capable of orchestrating criminality rarely seen in mainstream investigations. The court seized Barr’s phone on June 25, 2024, uncovering the detailed instructions he sent to his accomplices. Lord Cubie noted that if Barr had been found guilty after trial, the sentence would have been eight years and ten months. He will face a serious crime prevention hearing on November 17 while awaiting potential extradition. Such wrench attacks are on pace for a record year, with over $30 million stolen in the first half of 2026 according to Chainalysis data.
