8-year Old School RuneScape saga comes to a close with former dev sentenced for stealing $400K in gold and items from players
You ever just lose your 20s to a self-inflicted RuneScape legal saga.
Former Jagex employee Andrew Mod Jed Lakeman was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for two years, for stealing over $400,000 worth of items and gold from players in the popular online game, Old School RuneScape (OSRS). According to an investigation, Lakeman, who worked as a content developer for OSRS from 2015, used other Jagex employees' credentials to manipulate the game's appeals system for moderation and account recovery, resulting in the removal and sale of stolen items online.
Jagex discovered the wrongdoing in 2018 and set a trap for Lakeman, leading to his arrest in 2019. Detective Constable Andrew McKeane emphasized that virtual crimes should be treated with the same seriousness as physical ones. Lakeman also filed an unfair dismissal counter-complaint in 2022, but his financial gains were reduced, and he was not reinstated at Jagex.
Despite the controversy, OSRS has seen significant growth since the incident, with the game hosting its largest live event to date.
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