‘King Bob’ music leaker Noah Urban sentenced to 10 years for cryptocurrency fraud and identity theft

Noah Urban, also known online as King Bob, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to Gizmodo. The sentencing, delivered on August 20, 2025, follows his guilty plea in two federal cases earlier this year. Urban was linked to the cybercrime group Scattered Spider and was accused of leaking unreleased music, including songs by Ariana Grande, in addition to orchestrating cryptocurrency theft schemes.

In addition to the prison term, Urban received three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $13 million in restitution to victims. His defense team had sought an eight-year sentence, as reported by News4Jax. Authorities said the criminal activities occurred between 2022 and 2023 and included a phishing campaign that compromised sensitive data and resulted in the theft of nearly $800,000 from five individuals.

Furthermore, prosecutors revealed that Urban worked with four others—Joel Martin Evans, Tyler Buchanan, Ahmed Hossam Eldin Elbadawy, and Evans Onyeaka Osiebo—who were also charged. According to Krebs on Security, the group used phishing tactics to trick employees at tech firms into revealing login credentials via text messages containing links to fake Okta authentication pages. A Telegram bot was reportedly used to capture and distribute the stolen credentials in real time.

In addition, a raid on Urban’s residence months before his arrest uncovered $2.89 million in cryptocurrency. He later admitted to the FBI that he obtained the funds while working with Scattered Spider. A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in November 2024 explained that the group exploited stolen credentials to infiltrate company systems, stealing confidential information, intellectual property, and personal data.

Moreover, cybersecurity firm Group-IB reported that nearly 136 organizations were targeted by Scattered Spider’s phishing activities, with total financial damages estimated between $9.5 million and $25 million.