Following his first court appearance on Wednesday, a minor who is suspected of participating in the 2023 cyberattacks against two significant Las Vegas casino companies was freed to his parents from a juvenile jail facility.

The young person handed himself in at the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center on September 17. Court officials will not be able to identify him until he is tried as an adult.

Prosecutors said the 17-year-old resides in Chicago, but Family Court Judge Dee Smart Butler ordered him to stay in Clark County under parental supervision.  He is only allowed to use technology and the internet for schooling or when a parent is present.  The suspect was only 15 years old when the alleged charges occurred, according to the prosecution.

Although they did not identify the casino companies in court, prosecutors say the suspect, who they believe is associated with a cybercriminal hacking collective known by the names Scattered Spider, Octo Tempest, UNC3944, and 0ktapus, took part in the cyberattacks on MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment between August and October 2023.

According to an SEC filing, Caesars paid $15 million in ransom, while MGM lost $110 million as a result of the attack.

Although its location is unclear, Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Summer Clarke stated that the suspect may still have approximately $1.8 million in bitcoin connected to the attacks.  Citing the millions of dollars in damages and the exposed personal data, which included over 65,000 Social Security numbers, she urged for continued incarceration.

“The level of sophistication he possesses and the criminal acts he is capable of cannot be overlooked by this court,” she told the court. “We don’t know what subject has access to, who he has access to, or how he has access to it.”

She also disclosed that in December 2023 and February 2025, the FBI had carried out search warrants at the teen's home in Illinois.

Clarke's plea was denied by defense lawyers David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, who emphasized the teen's clean record.

The teen's parents and grandmother will continue to live with him at a short-term rental in Clark County, according to Judge Butler, who sided with the defense.  She issued an order for "intense" supervision and threatened to detain anyone who disobeyed.

Three counts of collecting and utilizing personal identifying information to injure or impersonate another person, one crime of extortion, one count of conspiracy to commit extortion, and one count of unlawful activities with computers are among the six felony allegations against the suspect.

At a hearing scheduled for November, prosecutors said they would try the teenager as an adult and seek extra counts.

Authorities in England detained a second 17-year-old in July 2024 in relation to the assaults.