A man from Saskatoon is facing extradition to the United States for allegedly hacking into American university systems to mine cryptocurrency using their supercomputers. Ryan James Roach, 34, is accused of conspiring to commit unauthorized computer use, a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison in Canada.
Roach, as per his lawyer Patricia Farnese, denies the allegations against him. An undisclosed U.S. educational institution suffered approximately $337,000 in damages from the breach, which included expenses for system shutdowns, forensic analysis, and infrastructure rebuilding.
A judge in Saskatoon will determine whether Roach can be extradited, evaluating if the evidence from the U.S. meets Canada’s extradition criteria and if the alleged actions would warrant charges in Canada.
The accusations are linked to a 2017 hacking incident, with the case being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York. Court documents suggest that Roach collaborated with a Canadian individual in Ontario to gain unauthorized access to university computer networks, stealing login information, installing malware, and accessing supercomputers to mine Electroneum.
Although cryptocurrency mining is legal, experts highlight the issue of how the computing power was acquired in this case. Andreas Park, a blockchain systems professor at the University of Toronto, likened the misuse of supercomputers to inappropriate usage of public resources.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted an investigation that led to Roach’s arrest in December 2025. The FBI linked digital evidence to Roach, including IP addresses, server logs, email accounts, and hosting records. Roach was released on bail after a judge determined that detention was unnecessary, citing his lack of criminal history and the time elapsed since the alleged incident.
The extradition hearing, scheduled for April 3 in Saskatoon, will not determine guilt but assess if the U.S. evidence meets Canadian extradition standards. The final decision on Roach’s surrender to the U.S. rests with Canada’s federal justice minister, with no comment provided by the U.S. Justice Department on the case.
