RuneScape Dev Given 3-Year Suspended Sentence For Stealing $400,000

Custom image made by James Lucas. Published Sep 5, 2026, 9:37 AM EDT James Lucas is an Executive Editor at TheGamer who has worked in professional journalism since 2018. A Newcastle University graduate with a degree in Journalism, Media, and Culture, they have written hundreds of guides, news stories, and original reports, with bylines in IGN, NME, GaymingMag, and VG247, sourcing interviews with studio heads, legendary industry figures, prominent actors, and more. An expert on FPS games, Soulslikes, RPGs, and survival horror, James has intimate knowledge of a wide variety of titles, providing in-depth coverage and exclusive profiles. Some of the games they have extensively covered include: Half-Life 3, Counter-Strike, Elden Ring, and Fallout. They pride themselves on their consistently thorough research, leveraging nearly a decade of industry experience. You can reach them at James.t@thegamer.com Sign in to your TheGamer account Andrew Lakeman, better known as ‘Mod Jed’ or ‘Jed Sanderson’, has been handed a three-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, after potentially stealing more than £300,000 from RuneScape players. Lakeman, who joined Jagex in 2015, took advantage of his role at the studio to access players’ accounts and steal in-game items. From there, he pawned them on the black market, using cryptocurrency to cover his tracks. Jagex realized that someone within the studio was stealing items after noticing valuables and gold disappearing from players’ inventories after “suspicious account recoveries” had been performed, prompting an internal investigation. To catch the culprit, the studio quietly modified its firewall to lay a trap that allowed the IT team to trace the activity. This led them to Lakeman’s home address. Initially, he denied responsibility and in fact suggested his account was compromised. Regardless, he was fired and reported to the police. Investigators soon found that Lakeman had received £364,829 from cryptocurrency dealers, though it’s unclear if all of that money came from stolen in-game goods. As reported by Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Lakeman pleaded guilty after finally being arrested in 2019, concluding the years-long investigation. Nearly a decade after his arrest, the three-year sentence handed to Lakeman has been suspended for two years, meaning he won't face immediate jail time. He must comply with the terms of his order and avoid further offending during that period or risk being sent to prison. He must also complete 150 hours of unpaid work and 25 days of rehabilitation activity. The case also raised a significant legal question: can something that exists only inside a video game be stolen? The Court of Appeal found that RuneScape's virtual gold pieces could constitute ‘property’ under the Theft Act, meaning they were capable of being stolen despite existing entirely in digital form. “Just because it’s virtual, doesn’t mean he shouldn’t face the full force of the law,’ Detective Constable Andrew McKeane said. “Given the rapid growth of online and virtual worlds, the justice system is going to have to keep pace and adapt to these new and emerging crimes.” Systems Released January 4, 2001 ESRB t Developer(s) Jagex Publisher(s) Jagex Engine runeTek 5 Multiplayer Online Multiplayer