The Five Leaders of the Cybercriminal Group Scattered Spider Behind Bars

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office has released indictments against these four young Americans and one Briton, all of whom were previously arrested.

In mid-November 2024, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office released indictments against five young men suspected of being the leaders of the cybercriminal gang Scattered Spider. These include four Americans, all currently detained in the United States:

Joel Evans, alias “joeleoli,” 25, from North Carolina;
Ahmed Elbadawy, a 23-year-old Texan known as “AD”;
Noah Urban, 20, alias “Sosa” or “Elijah,” residing in Palm Coast, Florida;
Evans Osiebo, 20, from Dallas, Texas.

The fifth suspect is Tyler Buchanan, alias “Tylerb,” a British national whose arrest and involvement with Scattered Spider was revealed in June 2024. He is currently incarcerated in Spain, where he fled after he and his mother were victims of an assault in the United Kingdom.

Active between 2021 and 2023, Scattered Spider, also known as “Oktapus,” specialized in phishing and SIM-swapping scams. The group was notorious for its flashy and chaotic communication style, suggesting it was made up of relatively inexperienced young people.

Scattered Spider carried out dozens of attacks with often devastating effects, targeting tech companies such as LastPass, MailChimp, Okta, T-Mobile, and Twilio. The group also collaborated with Russian ransomware gangs to launch high-profile cyberattacks against several Las Vegas casinos during the summer of 2023. However, these attacks are not mentioned in the U.S. indictments.

According to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, the accused collectively earned $11 million (€10.5 million). Each faces up to 22 years in prison.