Judge orders release of teen accused in Las Vegas casino cyberattacks

A teenager who turned himself in to face allegations he participated in the 2023 cyberattacks against two major Las Vegas casino operators was released Wednesday to his parents.

Family Court Judge Dee Smart Butler imposed several restrictions on the 17-year-old boy during Wednesday’s initial appearance in Las Vegas, including that he must remain in Clark County under the supervision of his parents. Prosecutors said the teen lives in the Chicago area.

The judge also restricted the suspect’s access to cell phones and electronics, and he is prohibited from using the internet unless it is for school purposes or he is accompanied by a parent. Prosecutors and defense attorneys said the boy was 15 when the cyberattacks that he is accused of being a part of happened.

Prosecutors told reporters after the hearing that they would move to try the 17-year-old as an adult. Butler said that determination would be made at a November hearing.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Summer Clarke said during Wednesday’s hearing that prosecutors were seeking additional charges.

Clarke asked Butler to keep the teen detained until the November hearing on the grounds that the teen is accused of causing millions of dollars in damages. Sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, was also compromised, Clarke said.

Clarke added the FBI executed search warrants on the suspect’s Illinois home in December 2023 and February 2025.

$1.8 million worth of bitcoin, prosecutor says

Authorities suspect the teen still has roughly $1.8 million worth of bitcoin in his possession stemming from the attacks, but are unsure of its whereabouts, Clarke said.

“The level of sophistication he possesses and the criminal acts he is capable of cannot be overlooked by this court,” Clarke said.

Defense attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld called the prosecution’s request to deny the suspect’s release “disingenuous,” and said the suspect has never faced any other criminal charges.

Butler ultimately sided with the defense, which noted the suspect’s parents and grandmother will remain with him in Clark County at a temporary rental. The teen must be kept under “intense” supervision, Butler said, adding that if he is found to be in violation of the order, he will be detained by probation officers.

The suspect on Wednesday appeared with Chesnoff and Schonfeld and his parents, but remained silent during the proceeding. The two attorneys declined to comment Wednesday.

The Metropolitan Police Department announced Friday the suspect had turned himself in Sept. 17 at the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center on suspicion of obtaining or using personally identifying information to harm or impersonate a person, extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion and unlawful acts regarding computers.

Clarke: Caesars paid $15 million to hackers

Metro last week did not specify which casinos were targeted by the suspect, but MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment were each targeted by large “sophisticated” attacks in 2023.

On Wednesday, Clarke said Caesars paid the alleged hackers $15 million to settle a ransomware attack that reportedly occurred in 2023, and that the attack to MGM resulted in about $200 million in damages.

“Between August 2023 and October 2023, multiple Las Vegas casino properties became the targets of sophisticated network intrusions which were attributed to an organized cyber threat-actor group known by several names to include, ‘Scattered Spider’, ‘Octo Tempest’, ‘UNC3944, and/or ‘0ktapus’,” a Metro press release said Friday.

Brian Ahern, a spokesman for MGM, declined to comment. Officials with Caesars Entertainment did not respond to a request for comment.

Clarke on Wednesday did not say whether authorities are looking for others in connection to the cyberattacks. In July 2024, authorities announced the arrest of a 17-year-old boy in England linked to the hacks, and Bloomberg reported in 2023 that members of those hacking groups were believed to be young adults who were residing in the U.S. and U.K.

Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Blusky.