The Russian government, specifically the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs Investigation Department, has charged a group of people with organized crime offenses.

In October, word leaked out that a man going by the alias "Paunch" was arrested and suspected of being the driving force behind the Blackhole malware kit.

On Friday, the Ministry released a notice that a total of 13 individuals had been charged. According to the Ministry's press release, Trojan horse programs and other malware were used to engage in "massive embezzlement of funds from the accounts of individuals and legal entities." The suspected loss is estimated at about 70m Russian rubles ($2.1m).

Under Russian law, anyone convicted faces imprisonment for 12-20 years and fines of up to 1m rubles ($30,600).