Aleksandr Suvorov, a 28-year-old Estonian hacker, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in two separate hacking schemes involving over 240,000 stolen credit card numbers.
The schemes, which netted Suvorov a significant amount of cash, targeted unsuspecting consumers and businesses, posing a serious threat to their financial security. The cases were consolidated in the Eastern District of New York for sentencing.
Suvorov pleaded guilty in May 2009 to a wire fraud conspiracy charge for hacking into the national restaurant chain Dave & Buster’s and stealing more than 80,000 credit card numbers. In addition, he pleaded guilty in November 2011 to a trafficking in unauthorized access devices charge related to the sale of more than 160,000 stolen credit card numbers to an undercover agent with the U.S. Secret Service.
The sentence was announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer for the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta E. Lynch, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California Laura E. Duffy, and Director of the U.S. Secret Service Mark Sullivan.
“Mr. Suvorov participated in a scheme to sell thousands of credit card numbers stolen from unsuspecting consumers,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. “Computer hackers like Mr. Suvorov victimize businesses and individuals, posing a serious threat to their financial security. Today’s sentence sends a clear message that cyber criminals operating abroad will suffer severe consequences for their crimes.”
Suvorov was also ordered to pay $675,000 in restitution and to satisfy a $300,000 asset forfeiture judgment stemming from the New York charges. The U.S. Secret Service and the Justice Department were praised for their coordinated efforts in dismantling this international criminal enterprise.
The case serves as a warning to cyber criminals that law enforcement will continue to pursue them wherever they are. The Secret Service, in conjunction with its many law enforcement partners across the United States and around the world, continues to successfully combat these crimes by adapting their investigative methodologies.
The international scope of the case highlights the need for global cooperation in combating cybercrime. The success of this investigation is due to the cooperation of these partners in more than a dozen international law enforcement agencies.
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