So he started scamming people in 2017. as a teenager and was arrested in 2026. So he was scamming people for 9 years while throwing money all around. I wonder why it took police so long to arrest him...
If he scammed people for 9 years before being caught, I say he has had a pretty successful run in scamming people has enjoyed himself enough. All criminals surely have a day they get caught, and that was just his time. He is a successful criminal, and for him to have survived that long shows he is good at what he does, maybe at the end of the day the authorities will absorb someone like him because an individual with his skill set can be very useful for the government.
Reading the news, I think it says "Trenton Johnston was just 17 when he began scamming cryptocurrency holders in January 2024", so it is clear that he hasn't been doing that for 9 years. Plus, dude is 20 years old, so he would have been 11 years old if he started 9 years ago. So he was only 17 years old when he started in 2024, and he turned 20 now, when he got caught.
And 185 bitcoin was not the total sum of his scamming; it was a one-off deal. He scammed much more in total in the past 2-3 years. So those are the relevant information regarding the story. One more part: he got 25 months as well, which means, with good behaviour and time already served, he could be out in no time as well. Economic crimes in the USA are usually soft; it's not like other crimes; you do not serve a lot. Jordan Belfort stole hundreds of millions; he still got out quite early and is already making money.