Andrew Lakeman, the former Jagex developer known to Old School RuneScape players as Mod Jed, has been convicted of taking virtual gold and items from player accounts and selling them. Cambridge Crown Court gave Lakeman a three-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, in a case reported as first reported by Tom’s Hardware.
The court also ordered 150 hours of unpaid work and 25 days of rehabilitation. Investigators linked Lakeman to the theft and sale of more than $400,000 worth of RuneScape gold and in-game property.
An internal investigation exposed suspicious account activity
Jagex hired Lakeman in 2015 as a content developer for Old School RuneScape. The game lets players trade currency and equipment with each other, including through its Grand Exchange marketplace, giving rare items and large gold reserves a real-world resale value.
Jagex detected suspicious activity in 2018 and altered security measures without telling most of the development team. The investigation found that the thefts involved manipulating account-recovery and moderation processes, as well as using developer tools or other employees’ credentials.
The studio dismissed Lakeman and referred the matter to police. Officers arrested him in July 2019, setting off a lengthy legal process that also included a 2022 unfair-dismissal complaint.
The case puts player-account security under scrutiny
The prosecution matters because it concerns a person with access to systems meant to protect players from account takeovers and abuse. Old School RuneScape’s economy depends on users trusting that the gold and equipment they earn can be securely held, traded and recovered when accounts are compromised.
It also adds to the legal treatment of virtual property. A later ruling in the dispute allowed theft claims involving digital assets, an important precedent for games where virtual goods can be sold for substantial sums outside the game.
Detective Constable Andrew McKeane said, “Just because it’s virtual, doesn’t mean he shouldn’t face the full force of the law.”
Some details remain unsettled. Reports reference September 3 for the sentencing but do not consistently establish the precise date, and they do not say when Lakeman began taking assets. Sources also do not establish whether roughly $493,000 found in bank accounts came from the RuneScape-related sales.
This article was produced with AI assistance from multi-source reporting and is published under our editorial standards.
