Western District of Pennsylvania Moldovan Botnet Operator Indicted for Role in Conspiracy to Unlawfully Access Thousands of Infected Computers Throughout the United States United States Department of Justice
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ppNote Click here to view the wanted poster for Alexander LefterovppPITTSBURGH Pa A Moldovan national has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh for computer fraud crimes aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit wire fraud United States Attorney Eric G Olshan announced todayppThe ninecount Indictment names Alexander Lefterov aka Alipako aka Uptime aka Alipatime age 37 of Chisinau Moldova as the sole defendantppAccording to the Indictment from March 2021 through November 2021 Lefterov and his coconspirators operated and controlled a botnet comprising thousands of infected computers throughout the United States including in the Western District of Pennsylvania Lefterovs coconspirators allegedly included coders who used their technical expertise to maintain and update the botnet over time During the conspiracy Lefterov and his coconspirators stole victims login credentialsie usernames and passwordsfrom the infected computers and then used the credentials to gain access to victim accounts at financial institutions payment processers and retail establishments as means to steal money from the victims To further monetize the scheme Lefterov allegedly leased the botnet to other coconspirators by providing them access to infected computers as well as to the victims stolen credentials Lefterov and his coconspirators also provided access to the botnet for the purpose of distributing malware including ransomware to infected computers within the botnet As the owner and operator of the botnet Lefterov allegedly received a percentageshare of profits derived from the schemeppLefterov and his coconspirators allegedly used their sophisticated cyber skills and capabilities to victimize people throughout the country without regard for the financial havoc they wreaked US Attorney Olshan said This case illustrates the resolve of our office and the law enforcement community to identify and pursue accountability from those who seek to exploit technology for their own personal gain at the expense of ordinary citizens We will continue our collective fight to keep our neighbors safe regardless of whether theyre out on the street or sitting behind their keyboardsppProtecting Americans in cyber space is a top priority and we will aggressively pursue anyone no matter if theyre on US soil or overseas who believes our population is an easy target said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek The FBI and our partners will continue investigating the sources behind malware intrusions and the hijacking of machines for malicious attacks against Americans online We urge everyone to practice secure cyber hygieneppThe United States Secret Service continues to locate cyber criminals wherever they may be whether domestically or hiding abroad said Special Agent in Charge Timothy Burke US Secret Service Pittsburgh Field Office Working with our partners we will continue these investigations to safeguard Americans from cyber fraud and other illicit activitiesppThe Indictment against Lefterov was returned on December 28 2021 and unsealed todayppThe conspiracy to commit computer fraud unauthorized access of a protected computer to obtain information for financial gain and conspiracy to commit wire fraud offenses each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison The intentional damage to a protected computer offense carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and the maximum penalty for each of the aggravated identity theft offenses is not less than two years of imprisonment to run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment imposed Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history if any of the defendantppAssistant United States Attorney Mark V Gurzo is prosecuting this case on behalf of the governmentppThe Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Secret Service conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case The Justice Departments Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance in this matter as did Lithuanian and Moldovan authoritiesppAn indictment is an accusation A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guiltypp700 Grant Street Suite 4000
Pittsburgh PA 15219pp17 South Park Row Room A330
Erie PA 16501pp319 Washington Street Suite 200
Johnstown PA 15901ppEmail USAOWDPAppPittsburgh 4126443500
Fax 4126444549ppErie 8144522906
Fax 8144556951ppJohnstown 8145334547
Fax 8145334545ppStay ConnectedppppHave a question about Government Servicesp
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ppNote Click here to view the wanted poster for Alexander LefterovppPITTSBURGH Pa A Moldovan national has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh for computer fraud crimes aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit wire fraud United States Attorney Eric G Olshan announced todayppThe ninecount Indictment names Alexander Lefterov aka Alipako aka Uptime aka Alipatime age 37 of Chisinau Moldova as the sole defendantppAccording to the Indictment from March 2021 through November 2021 Lefterov and his coconspirators operated and controlled a botnet comprising thousands of infected computers throughout the United States including in the Western District of Pennsylvania Lefterovs coconspirators allegedly included coders who used their technical expertise to maintain and update the botnet over time During the conspiracy Lefterov and his coconspirators stole victims login credentialsie usernames and passwordsfrom the infected computers and then used the credentials to gain access to victim accounts at financial institutions payment processers and retail establishments as means to steal money from the victims To further monetize the scheme Lefterov allegedly leased the botnet to other coconspirators by providing them access to infected computers as well as to the victims stolen credentials Lefterov and his coconspirators also provided access to the botnet for the purpose of distributing malware including ransomware to infected computers within the botnet As the owner and operator of the botnet Lefterov allegedly received a percentageshare of profits derived from the schemeppLefterov and his coconspirators allegedly used their sophisticated cyber skills and capabilities to victimize people throughout the country without regard for the financial havoc they wreaked US Attorney Olshan said This case illustrates the resolve of our office and the law enforcement community to identify and pursue accountability from those who seek to exploit technology for their own personal gain at the expense of ordinary citizens We will continue our collective fight to keep our neighbors safe regardless of whether theyre out on the street or sitting behind their keyboardsppProtecting Americans in cyber space is a top priority and we will aggressively pursue anyone no matter if theyre on US soil or overseas who believes our population is an easy target said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek The FBI and our partners will continue investigating the sources behind malware intrusions and the hijacking of machines for malicious attacks against Americans online We urge everyone to practice secure cyber hygieneppThe United States Secret Service continues to locate cyber criminals wherever they may be whether domestically or hiding abroad said Special Agent in Charge Timothy Burke US Secret Service Pittsburgh Field Office Working with our partners we will continue these investigations to safeguard Americans from cyber fraud and other illicit activitiesppThe Indictment against Lefterov was returned on December 28 2021 and unsealed todayppThe conspiracy to commit computer fraud unauthorized access of a protected computer to obtain information for financial gain and conspiracy to commit wire fraud offenses each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison The intentional damage to a protected computer offense carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and the maximum penalty for each of the aggravated identity theft offenses is not less than two years of imprisonment to run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment imposed Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history if any of the defendantppAssistant United States Attorney Mark V Gurzo is prosecuting this case on behalf of the governmentppThe Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Secret Service conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case The Justice Departments Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance in this matter as did Lithuanian and Moldovan authoritiesppAn indictment is an accusation A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guiltypp700 Grant Street Suite 4000
Pittsburgh PA 15219pp17 South Park Row Room A330
Erie PA 16501pp319 Washington Street Suite 200
Johnstown PA 15901ppEmail USAOWDPAppPittsburgh 4126443500
Fax 4126444549ppErie 8144522906
Fax 8144556951ppJohnstown 8145334547
Fax 8145334545ppStay ConnectedppppHave a question about Government Servicesp
