Ukrainian sentenced to 18 years for cybercrime marketplaces

Roman Vega, 49, a Ukrainian national, co-founder of the infamous cybercrime marketplace CarderPlane, has finally been sentenced. Vega pleaded guilty in 2009 to conspiracy to commit money laundering and access device fraud offenses. But he was not sentenced until this past Thursday in New York. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Vega had two online marketplaces for stolen credit card information. In the late 90s, he created the first market place for stolen credit card info.

In the early 2000s, he created an even more ambitious criminal website, CarderPlane. This Russian speaking website became one of the most prolific of sites designed for the sole purpose of trading credit card information, hacking services, and money laundering.

“Roman Vega and his cybercriminal associates emulated the mafia in organizing their criminal operations,” stated United States Attorney Loretta Lynch. “Now, he shares the same fate as so many mafia bosses – a long term of imprisonment. This investigation spanned the globe and sends the unmistakable warning that when it comes to dismantling global cybercrime organisations, neither distance nor complexity will deter us and our partners in law enforcement.”