JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The 19-year-old known online as "King Bob" appeared in court Friday, where a judge ordered him to stay in jail until his trial. The trial's date was also set Friday, with proceedings to begin March 4.
The teen, Noah Michael Urban, is also known by several aliases, including "King Bob." He is accused of stealing the money through hacking five different people's cryptocurrency wallets through wire fraud and identity theft.
Urban was indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, eight counts of wire fraud and five counts of aggravated identity theft.
When he was arrested on Jan. 9, thousands of users on social media posted and shared his mugshot, identifying him as a notorious music 'leaker' who hacked celebrities and posted their unreleased songs online. X users connected Urban to leaks of tracks from Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti and Ariana Grande, including pop culture news site Hotist and several popular pop news accounts.
An indictment released last week explained how Urban was able to gain access to his accused victims by hacking their emails, using two-factor authentication and transferring their money from earned from Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Prosecutors revealed more details of Urban's scheme Friday, including evidence that he used Discord to communicate with co-conspirators.
Prosecutors said that the Discord group allegedly stole $10-15 million dollars.
The victims said they had their accounts frozen and did not know about the money being stolen.
Prosecutors believe he was tipped off
Prosecutors said that they believe Urban was tipped off about being investigated. Shortly before his arrest, all traces of his social media presence were deleted.
When police issued a search warrant March 1, Urban had run software on his computer that would erase everything. The FBI was not able to recover everything from the computer.
They also said Urban used software to protect the stolen identities being discoverable on his computer. When he was arrested, he was staying at an Airbnb under a different name.
He is also accused of using a VPN and encrypted software to cover his tracks. Prosecutors say that if Urban was released he could easily continue to commit fraud and cover it up.
Though the defense asked that Urban be released with a GPS locator and without access to internet, the judge agreed to take their recommendation to keep Urban in jail until his trial, saying that he was concerned that if released, "he's going to seek to obstruct justice in any way."
Parents testify
Urban's father took the stand to testify on his behalf. He said that Noah moved out to live in Airbnbs in August 2023 and used this lifestyle to travel to Tampa and Miami.
He said his son never had a job, and he did not provide him with money, except for the odd $20 for "teenager requests." He also told the courtroom that Urban didn't want to live there because he didn't like the pressure put on him to "do something with his life."
His mother also testified, telling the courtroom that if she found Noah withdrawing money, she would turn him in.
She said he has not lived with her since he was 16 and she was not even aware he had been indicted for his crimes. She said that he was secretive with his computer and it made her suspicious.
She said that Urban had 'Oppositional defiant disorder' which is a type of behavior disorder where children are uncooperative, defiant and hostile toward peers, often treated with therapy.