LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — An Illinois teen is accused within the 2023 cyberattacks on MGM and Caesars, the most important resort operators in Las Vegas, when he was 15 years previous, the 8 New Now Investigators have discovered.
The teenager, now 17, appeared in juvenile courtroom Wednesday.
Caesars paid the alleged hackers $15 million after extortion and threats. MGM didn’t comply, leading to a $200 million loss, and greater than 65,000 Social Safety numbers had been stolen, in keeping with Clark County Chief Deputy District Legal professional Summer time Clarke.
MGM disputed the quantity Clarke referenced, citing an SEC submitting which exhibits an influence of roughly $110 million.
“The level of sophistication cannot be overlooked,” Clarke stated as she argued for the teenager to stay in custody, referred to as him a hazard to others, and stated he confronted years in jail.
The FBI has nonetheless been unable to hint, observe and discover over $1.8 million of bitcoin foreign money, in keeping with Clarke.
Clarke referred to the teenager’s alleged actions as a large-scale monetary theft affecting Nevada, neighboring states, and different international locations.
She stated he achieved cyberterrorism “without stepping foot outside his home.”
Clark County District Courtroom Choose Dee Butler ordered the teenager’s launch from the juvenile detention middle, noting that the allegations date again to 2 years in the past, whereas additionally acknowledging that the allegations are “incredibly serious” and dangerous to firms locally.
Butler identified the teenager’s dad and mom, who had been in courtroom, have the sources to help him.
Each dad and mom agreed to take care of a house for the teenager in Nevada, and to have both his mom, father or grandmother supervise him. Butler required no Web entry besides for college, and no entry to a smartphone with Web.
Butler stated if a violation is discovered, probation officers will take the teenager into custody.
Protection attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld stood behind the teenager, who remained quiet in his seat. Schonfeld argued for his launch from custody, saying he’s not a flight danger and has no felony historical past.
“He surrendered,” Schonfeld stated. “That is a clear indication he is not a risk of flight.”
Schonfeld referred to the teenager as a “poster child” for what legislators meant for Nevada’s juvenile justice system.
Search warrants had been served on the teen’s dwelling in December 2023 and February 2025.
Throughout the newer raid, the FBI discovered a number of laptops hidden within the teen’s dwelling, together with underneath the lavatory sink, in keeping with Clarke.
The investigation reached Las Vegas, Illinois, New Jersey, and the UK, Clarke stated.
Members of the media, together with the 8 Information Now Investigators, had been granted entry contained in the courtroom with sure circumstances, together with not revealing the teenager or his dad and mom’ id. The protection group had filed a movement to stop media entry, which was not profitable.
Las Vegas Metro police introduced Friday that the teenager had turned himself in to the Clark County Juvenile Detention Heart two days prior, on Sept. 17. He was booked for 3 counts of acquiring and utilizing private figuring out info of one other individual to hurt or impersonate individual, and one rely every of extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion, and illegal acts relating to computer systems.
Prosecutors intend to argue for the teenager to be licensed, which means for him to be charged as an grownup. Clarke argued that the allegations are simply as critical as violent crimes that teenagers are sometimes licensed for.
Between August 2023 and October 2023, a number of Las Vegas on line casino properties grew to become the targets of refined community intrusions, which had been attributed to an organized cyber threat-actor group recognized by a number of names to incorporate, “Scattered Spider”, “Octo Tempest”, “UNC3944”, and/or “0ktapus,” in keeping with a police information launch.
4 males between the ages of 20 and 23 had been recognized in November 2024 when federal prosecutors introduced indictments within the case, which hadn’t formally been linked on the time to the cyberattacks on MGM Resorts Worldwide and Caesars Leisure.
When the 4 indictments had been launched, web sites that monitor cybersecurity information recognized Scattered Spider, a loosely linked group of hackers, because the accountable group.
A hacker generally known as AlphV, or Alpha, had taken accountability for the MGM hack, however didn’t deny that Scattered Spider carried it out, in keeping with a report by 8 Information Now Investigators.
The 8 Information Now Investigators reached out to Caesars and MGM after the teenager appeared in courtroom on Wednesday.
It is a creating story.
To succeed in investigative reporter Vanessa Murphy, e mail [email protected].
