18 Year-Old Sentenced to Life in Hospital Prison Over GTA VI Hack
The 18-year-old hacker who released 90 clips of the upcoming video game Grand Theft Auto 6 last year has been sentenced to life inside a hospital prison, according to the BBC, and will only be released if medical professionals judge him to be no longer dangerous. During Thursday’s sentencing, the court heard that Arion Kurtaj had displayed violent behavior while in custody with dozens of accounts of injury and property damage, and a mental health review showed that he “continued to express the intent to return to cybercrime as soon as possible.” Prior to his September 2022 arrest, Kurtaj, a member of the international cybercrime group, Lapsus$, was on bail for hacking Nvidia and BT/EE and was placed under police protection at a hotel. But despite having his computer taken away, Kurtaj broke into Rockstar Games, the developer of GTA VI, using an Amazon Firestick, a hotel TV, and a mobile phone. He was then rearrested but deemed unfit to stand trial due to his autism. In the sentencing hearings, Kurtaj’s legal team claimed that the success of the GTA VI trailer, which garnered 128 million views on YouTube in its first four days, suggests that the hacking did not harm Rockstar Games. But the judge noted that Kurtaj’s actions, including his previous cybercrimes with Lapsus$, harmed real people and companies. According to the BBC, Rockstar Games stated that the GTA VI hack cost it $5 million and thousands of hours in employee shifts.
