Russian Hackers Being Rounded Up by U.S. Authorities
Posted by: Timothy Weaver on 04/01/2017 09:48 AM
[
Comments
]
U.S. law enforcement authorities are now conducting a global sweep of Russian hackers.
One was at a Finnish border crossing. Another was arriving at an airport in Spain. A third was dining at a restaurant in Prague. They are now making appearances in U.S. courts.
And the hackers are getting the news. If they leave the confines of Russia, they may get picked up and sent to the U.S. “They no longer travel, the high-profile hackers. They understand the danger,” said Arkady Bukh, a criminal defense lawyer in New York City.
Among those nabbed was Maxim Senakh, a 41-year-old Russian, pleaded guilty in a Minneapolis courtroom to operating a massive robotic network that generated tens of millions of spam emails a day in a zombie criminal enterprise that purportedly brought in millions in profits.
Another one nabbed was Mark Vartanyan, 29, pleaded guilty March 20 to computer fraud in an Atlanta courtroom after reaching a deal with prosecutors to offer far-reaching cooperation that would limit a prison term to five years or less.
David Hickton, a former U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh, said: “This is 21st century burglary. It’s no different than if someone pulled a truck up to your house and stole valuable material.”
“These cyber investigations are very, very hard. You’re talking about evaporating evidence, borderless crimes and defendants who can hide behind the borders of countries that don’t have extradition treaties with us,” he said.
Yevgeniy Nikulin, 29, was arrested by police while dining with his girlfriend in a hotel restaurant in Prague’s Old Town Oct. 5.
Olga Komova, a 26-year-old Uzbek, and Dmitry Ukrainsky, a Russian, were arrested in mid-2016 at beach resorts in Thailand and accused of stealing more than $28 million as part of a mega cyber bank fraud ring.
The U.S. attorney in Atlanta, John Horn, said: “Cybercrime is borderless, but increasingly, so too are our law enforcement capabilities.”
Source: News Observer
One was at a Finnish border crossing. Another was arriving at an airport in Spain. A third was dining at a restaurant in Prague. They are now making appearances in U.S. courts.And the hackers are getting the news. If they leave the confines of Russia, they may get picked up and sent to the U.S. “They no longer travel, the high-profile hackers. They understand the danger,” said Arkady Bukh, a criminal defense lawyer in New York City.
Among those nabbed was Maxim Senakh, a 41-year-old Russian, pleaded guilty in a Minneapolis courtroom to operating a massive robotic network that generated tens of millions of spam emails a day in a zombie criminal enterprise that purportedly brought in millions in profits.
Another one nabbed was Mark Vartanyan, 29, pleaded guilty March 20 to computer fraud in an Atlanta courtroom after reaching a deal with prosecutors to offer far-reaching cooperation that would limit a prison term to five years or less.
David Hickton, a former U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh, said: “This is 21st century burglary. It’s no different than if someone pulled a truck up to your house and stole valuable material.”
“These cyber investigations are very, very hard. You’re talking about evaporating evidence, borderless crimes and defendants who can hide behind the borders of countries that don’t have extradition treaties with us,” he said.
Yevgeniy Nikulin, 29, was arrested by police while dining with his girlfriend in a hotel restaurant in Prague’s Old Town Oct. 5.
Olga Komova, a 26-year-old Uzbek, and Dmitry Ukrainsky, a Russian, were arrested in mid-2016 at beach resorts in Thailand and accused of stealing more than $28 million as part of a mega cyber bank fraud ring.
The U.S. attorney in Atlanta, John Horn, said: “Cybercrime is borderless, but increasingly, so too are our law enforcement capabilities.”
Source: News Observer
Comments
