By Dexerto | Created at 2026-08-07 19:37:48 | Updated at 2026-08-07 20:24:49
1 hour ago
Canadian officials are investigating how an innocent man spent 18 months in prison after police confused his Skyrim-inspired username with a nearly identical account.
Brandon Klayme was acquitted of all charges on July 23 after the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal found that he was “factually innocent” and should never have been charged or convicted.
Nova Scotia Attorney General Scott Armstrong has now requested a detailed briefing from the province’s Public Prosecution Service and vowed to prevent a similar case from happening again.
“I’m very concerned about this. I’m not sure how something like this can happen within the system,” Armstrong said. “I’ve asked the Public Prosecution Service to give me a specific briefing on all the steps in this case. And once I have that, I want to make some decisions of what the next steps will be.”
Skyrim username error sparks investigation
As previously reported by Dexerto, the case began with an investigation into messages sent to a 12-year-old girl in Wisconsin through the Kik messaging app.
The suspect used the username “fus__ro_dah,” a reference to the iconic Dragon Shout from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. However, Wisconsin police requested information for “fus_ro_dah,” which had one fewer underscore and belonged to Klayme.
That account led investigators to Klayme’s email address and IP address in Nova Scotia. Halifax Regional Police later searched his home and seized phones and laptops, but found no evidence connecting him to the girl, the messages, or the images involved in the case.
BethesdaKlayme was still convicted of three charges in April 2023. He received an 18-month prison sentence in January 2024 and served the entire term.
The appeal court said the correct username would likely have led investigators to someone in California. It also found that the discrepancy was available during Klayme’s original trial but somehow went unnoticed.
Canada’s state broadcaster reported that Armstrong plans to examine how the error passed through police, prosecutors, defense lawyers, and the court.
Armstrong has not ruled out a public inquiry and said the province is willing to meet with Klayme or his representatives. According to The Canadian Press, there have not yet been discussions about potential compensation.
Klayme isn’t the only innocent man to be incorrectly arrested. Earlier this year, a man announced he was suing the city of Reno, Nevada, after he was misidentified by AI and wrongfully arrested at the Peppermill casino.
