Bitcoin Seizure in Scotland

A Scottish court has seized £110,000 (about $144,000) worth of bitcoin from John Ross Rennie, the “technical brains” behind a 2020 assault and robbery of cryptocurrency.

Prosecutors converted the seized bitcoin into physical cash. Rennie was convicted of possessing stolen goods and guided robbers on transferring the cryptocurrency.

The robbery involved three men who assaulted a victim in his home, coercing him into transferring his bitcoin. The victim was forced to comply after waking up to find a man with a machete standing over him.

Scottish police noted that this marks the first instance of tracing stolen cryptocurrency in a robbery case.