Canadian Man Sentenced in $13M Crypto Support Scam

Trenton Johnston, a 20-year-old Canadian involved in a cryptocurrency laundering scheme that drained more than $13 million from victims, received a sentence of time served on October 26 in a Miami federal court. Johnston pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering after investigators linked him to a series of impersonation scams and demonstrations of his theft methods on Discord, Crypto News reported.

Johnston Funded Luxury Miami Lifestyle with Stolen Funds

According to a witness statement reported by Dexerto, Johnston didn’t just steal funds; he shared his screen on Discord to walk others through the exact methods he used to empty digital wallets.

The proceeds of these thefts funded a lifestyle of luxury in Florida. Court documents and reports from Dexerto detail spending on a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, two BMWs, high-end jewelry, private jet rentals, and the Miami nightlife scene. This spending spree was facilitated in part by co-defendant Brandon Michael Tardibone, who prosecutors alleged provided Johnston with a luxury residence to help him evade immigration authorities. Together, the pair is accused of spending over $1 million of the stolen proceeds on entertainment and vehicles.

How the $13 Million Theft Worked

As detailed in a U.S. Attorney’s Office announcement from May 11, the scammers impersonated support representatives from Google and the hardware wallet provider Trezor.

Trenton johnston sentenced in bitcoin impersonation scam — Photo: capwolf.com

Victims would receive calls claiming their accounts had been compromised. Once the victim was in a state of panic, the “support agent” would guide them through steps to “secure” their funds, which actually granted the scammers remote access to the victims’ digital wallets. One victim was convinced their email and exchange accounts had already been compromised before losing about $41,000 in Ether.

The scale of the theft peaked with a single California resident who lost 185 BTC. At the time of the theft, those coins were valued at nearly $13 million. The coldness of the operation was captured in a private message Johnston sent to an accomplice, where he wrote, We actually smacked a 185btc target today, as reported by International Business Times UK.

A Sentence Driven by Cooperation

The primary driver for this leniency was Johnston’s “substantial assistance” in ongoing investigations involving other suspects. His defense lawyer, Brooke C. Watson, noted that Johnston admitted his conduct quickly and surrendered approximately $3.8 million in Bitcoin and Ether following his arrest. While this sum is substantial, it represents only about 29.1% of the minimum reported loss of $13.04 million. International Business Times UK noted that it remains unclear whether the court has ordered full restitution for the victims.

Human manipulation accounted for many major thefts and called for systems capable of spotting suspicious activity before customer funds leave accounts.

— Deddy Lavid, CEO and co-founder of Cyvers

The Broader Pattern of Phishing

Johnston's case is not an isolated incident but part of a trend of social engineering attacks. ZachXBT, a blockchain investigator, detailed in October 2024 how he assisted officials in retrieving $275,000 in Bitcoin that had been taken from an elderly U.S. Coinbase user during a different support impersonation fraud. The investigator stated that approximately 15 BTC had been stolen in April 2024 by individuals pretending to be exchange support personnel.

For the victims of the Johnston scheme, the cost was the loss of funds including one resident’s 185 BTC, while for the perpetrator, the reward was a luxury lifestyle in Miami—and eventually, a sentence of time served in exchange for substantial assistance.