185 bitcoins stolen: the Canadian who boasted on Discord gets 25 months in prison

Twenty-five months for 185 BTC. The 20-year-old Canadian who robbed a Californian of $13 million in bitcoin was sentenced on October 26 by a US federal judge. At the time of his plea in June, the range mentioned was four to five years. In the meantime, he pleaded guilty and provided “substantial assistance” to investigators.

He will leave prison with a return ticket to Canada and without his Lamborghini.

Key Points

Conviction pronounced on October 26 for association with the aim of money laundering, time already served deducted

Around $3.8 million in cryptos returned out of around $13 million subtracted

A fake Google support agent who demanded “access codes” to his targets’ wallets

Boasting messages cited in the complaint and screen sharing demonstrations on Discord

Deportation to Canada expected upon release and drug proceedings still open in Florida

From fake Google support to 185 bitcoins

Let's pick up the thread. Johnston began scamming in January 2024, at age 17. His method is not a computer exploit. He calls his victims presenting himself as a Google technical support employee or the representative of a crypto company, and makes them read the “access codes” of their wallet, in other words the recovery phrase or validation codes. With that, the blockchain does the rest.

In March 2026, the masterstroke falls. A Californian loses 185 BTC, about $13 million at the time. This Wednesday noon, around $80,500 per bitcoin according to CoinGecko, the same loot would be worth nearly 14.9 million.

And the thief chronicled his crime live. In messages to his accomplice cited by the criminal complaint, he wrote “We actually smacked a 185btc target today”, then “Club feels mad good after today” and “And we ain’t done”, according to the messages reported by CBC. According to a witness interviewed by investigators, he showed his method to others by sharing his screen on Discord.

The rest took off in a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, two BMWs, jewelry and a private jet rental. The June file also mentioned a Rolex and a theft of $41,000 worth of ETH in February, with Brandon Tardibone, boss of a luxury car rental company in Miami, who pleaded guilty for his part.

Rolls-Royce, Hermès bag and 25 months in prison

The arrest, in March 2026, is a cliché. Johnston is picked up in the back of a Rolls-Royce Cullinan in Miami, with suspected amphetamine pills in a Hermes bag (the bag is arguably worth more than what was inside). This aspect is the subject of a separate prosecution in Florida for possession of narcotics.

At the federal level, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. On October 26, the judge set the sentence at 25 months, time already spent in detention deducted, according to CBC. He returned around $3.8 million in crypto, and his “substantial assistance” in other investigations weighed heavily. His lawyer says he is “tremendously sorry for what he has done”, terribly sorry.

The arithmetic is brutal: 13 million stolen versus 3.8 million returned, for 25 months in cell. Upon release, Johnston will be deported to Canada.