A US federal judge in Miami on Monday sentenced Trenton Richard David (Trent) Johnston, 20, to time served after he pleaded guilty to a money-laundering conspiracy and handed over $3.8 million US worth of stolen crypto, CBC News reported. Johnston, a Canadian citizen, has been in custody since his arrest in March, when he was 19.
Source: CBC News (via Europe Says republication), October 27, 2026
A second summary of the sentencing gave the same outcome: Johnston received time served after pleading guilty to money-laundering conspiracy, surrendered $3.8 million in stolen cryptocurrency, agreed to a US immigration removal order and is expected to be deported to Canada. He also faces an outstanding drug-possession charge in Florida.
Source: WiseVoter, October 27, 2026
US Homeland Security Investigations found Johnston impersonated Google tech-support staff and representatives of crypto firms to convince unwitting victims to share the codes to their cryptocurrency wallets, according to court documents cited by CBC News. A witness told investigators Johnston showed others how he carried out the thefts by sharing his screen over the social platform Discord.
In one instance, Johnston and an unnamed co-conspirator swindled a victim in California out of his life savings — 185 bitcoin, worth about $13 million US at the time — court documents say. Prosecutors said Johnston splurged on an extravagant nightlife and entertainment lifestyle in the Miami area, including a high-powered Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, two BMWs, jewellery and a private-jet rental.
Johnston was arrested in March in North Miami, seated in the back of a Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV, where officers found suspected amphetamine tablets in a Hermes bag, according to court documents. His defence lawyer, Brooke C. Watson, said in a court filing that after his arrest Johnston turned over all the stolen cryptocurrency in his possession, approximately $3.8 million in bitcoin and ether, and wrote that he 'quickly admitted his conduct and is tremendously sorry for what he has done.'
Johnston had overstayed his 12-month US tourist visa after crossing from Fort Erie, Ontario, to Buffalo, New York, in October 2024 at age 18, CBC News reported. A defence filing said his scheme started months earlier, in January 2024, when he was 17. In a plea deal, federal prosecutors agreed to withdraw a wire-fraud conspiracy charge in exchange for his guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and prosecutors later said he provided substantial assistance in the investigation and prosecution of other unnamed individuals.
It is unclear when Johnston will be released from custody, CBC News said. He already agreed to a removal order issued in April by a US immigration judge and is expected to be handed over to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be deported to Canada. He still faces a drug-possession charge from Florida state prosecutors stemming from the amphetamine pills found at his March arrest.