24-Year-Old Texan Sentenced to 13 Years for $700M Ransomware Heist

24-Year-Old Texan Sentenced to 13 Years for $700M Ransomware Heist

A Ukrainian national was sentenced to 13 years and seven months in prison for his role in conducting over 2,500 ransomware attacks and demanding over $700 million in ransom payments. Yaroslav Vasinskyi, 24, was ordered to pay over $16 million in restitution for his crimes.

As part of the scheme, Vasinskyi and his co-conspirators used the Sodinokibi/REvil ransomware variant to hack into thousands of computers around the world and encrypt them. They then demanded ransom payments in cryptocurrency and used cryptocurrency exchangers and mixing services to hide their ill-gotten gains.

The co-conspirators also publicly exposed their victims’ data when they refused to pay the ransom demands. “Yaroslav Vasinskyi and his co-conspirators hacked into thousands of computers around the world and encrypted them with ransomware,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri. “Then they demanded over $700 million in ransom payments and threatened to publicly disclose victims’ data if they refused to pay.”

Vasinskyi was previously extradited to the United States from Poland and pleaded guilty in the Northern District of Texas to an 11-count indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity in connection with computers, damage to protected computers, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The Justice Department has been working with international partners to identify and prosecute cybercriminals like Vasinskyi. “As this sentencing shows, the Justice Department is working with our international partners and using all tools at our disposal to identify cybercriminals, capture their illicit profits, and hold them accountable for their crimes,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.

The FBI has also been working closely with international partners to disrupt the broader cybercrime ecosystem. “Today, the FBI’s close collaboration with our worldwide partners has again ensured that a cybercriminal who thought he was beyond our reach faces the consequences of his actions,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Vasinskyi’s sentence should serve as a reminder to ransomware actors everywhere that the Justice Department will track them down and bring them to justice. “When you hit targets in the United States, the Justice Department and its partners will come after you,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton for the Northern District of Texas.