Former RuneScape Developer Sentenced for Stealing Over $400K from Players
"Just because it's virtual, doesn't mean he shouldn't face the full force of the law."
Jagex Ltd
Former Old School RuneScape developer Andrew Lakeman, formerly known as Jed Sanderson and better known to players as Mod Jed, has been sentenced for stealing over $400,000 in gold and items from players' accounts.
Lakeman first joined Jagex as a Content Developer in 2015, but three years later the company noticed that gold and valuable items were suspiciously disappearing from player accounts. At first, it believed it was a glitch, but it realized someone from the company was probably responsible for that.
Jagex started an investigation in 2018, setting a trap by changing account-recovery rules and firewall settings, and traced its employees' accounts to see if there was anything suspicious in their activity; the problem was traced back to Lakeman's devices and home address. When he was confronted, he denied responsibility and said that his account was compromised, but he was fired and reported to the police anyway.
Later, it was known that Lakeman had sold virtual gold and valuable in-game items on the black market that he had taken from other players' accounts, earning more than $400,000. He was arrested in July 2019 and later pleaded guilty.
Now, Dexerto reported that on September 3, 2026, the Cambridge Crown Court sentenced him to three years in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered him to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and a 25-day rehabilitation program.
One of the detectives in the case said, "Just because it's virtual, doesn't mean he shouldn't face the full force of the law," and added that with the rapid growth of online worlds, the justice system needs to adapt and keep an eye on these kinds of crimes.
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