Former Old School RuneScape dev sentenced for stealing £364,829 in player gold

A former developer on Old School RuneScape has been sentenced for stealing in-game gold and items from players and selling them for real money, concluding a multi-year investigation that began with a company trap and ended in a Cambridge courtroom.

Andrew Lakeman, known during his time at Jagex as Jed Sanderson and referred to by the RuneScape community as "Mod Jed," was handed a three-year sentence suspended for two years at Cambridge Crown Court on September 3, 2026. Cambridgeshire Constabulary also reported that Lakeman was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and complete a 25-day rehabilitation activity requirement. A separate proceeds of crime act timetable, due to conclude in February next year, aims to recoup the money he earned from the thefts.

Lakeman had previously pleaded guilty to charges including unauthorised computer access with intent to commit other offences, theft by employee, and several money laundering offences. The case stemmed from his time as a content developer at the Old School RuneScape studio, where he exploited the game's account recovery system to access high-value customer accounts and strip them of their virtual wealth. The scheme and its discovery

Suspicions first surfaced in May 2018, when the Old School RuneScape support team noticed suspicious account recovery activity involving valuable in-game items, including gold, being taken from player accounts. The activity then stopped for several months before resuming later that year. Investigators eventually concluded that the perpetrator was likely an employee, as accounts were being recovered using information that genuine owners would be unlikely to know.

Jagex laid a trap in its employee network firewall, and Lakeman walked directly into it. An internal investigation was conducted without informing the wider company, and his devices and home address were pinpointed as the source of the breaches. The company publicly confirmed in September 2018 that a member of its Old School RuneScape team had been dismissed for gross misuse of moderator privileges, though it did not name the culprit directly. Jagex also confirmed that no players' bank or card details had been compromised and took steps to return items and gold to affected accounts.

A search of Lakeman's accounts found that he had banked more than £364,829 — approximately $490,000 — in cash from cryptocurrency dealers. Device searches also showed messages to his wife detailing how he intended to make a lot of money before leaving Jagex, and discussions of high-value RuneScape accounts worth tens of thousands of pounds. The investigation was handed to Cambridgeshire Police in 2019, following Lakeman's arrest in July of that year. A lengthy legal process

Detective Constable Andrew McKeane described the case as an unusual and lengthy investigation, and certainly not one you see every day. "Lakeman was well aware what he was doing was wrong, and the hundreds of thousands of pounds he gained from selling the in-game items is no different to any other theft," McKeane said. "Just because it's virtual, doesn't mean he should get away with it."

Lakeman had apparently claimed that his own account must have been breached and used by another party to commit the gold hacks, a defence familiar to anyone who has seen banned Old School RuneScape players deny wrongdoing. The former developer was arrested in July 2019 and charged with unauthorised computer access with intent to commit other offences, theft by employee, and multiple offences related to concealing, disguising, converting, transferring or removing criminal property, as well as acquiring criminal property.

The sentencing brings to a close a case that stretched over several years of investigation and litigation. The total estimated value of the scheme was put at over £300,000, though the cash banked from cryptocurrency dealers reached the higher figure of £364,829. The suspended sentence means Lakeman will avoid immediate imprisonment provided he complies with the conditions set by the court, including the unpaid work and rehabilitation requirements.