Category: Cybercrime
Joseph O’Connor, Twitter Hack, California 2021
ESTEPONA, SPAIN – A 22-year-old British citizen is cooling his heels in a Spanish jail cell after being nabbed by Spanish National Police at the request of U.S. authorities. Joseph O’Connor is facing a slew of federal charges related to the July 2020 hack of Twitter, a brazen attack that compromised over 130 accounts belonging…
Cody Goodwin Taylor, Child Pornography, Council Bluffs IA, 2021
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – Cody Goodwin Taylor, 31, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, will spend the next decade behind bars after being sentenced Thursday to 121 months in prison for Possession of Child Pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose also tacked on a 10-year term of supervised release following Taylor’s imprisonment. The sentence comes…
Jason Lawrence Green, Heroin Distribution, Salisbury MD, 2021
SALISBURY, MD – Jason Lawrence Green, 40, of Salisbury, Maryland, has confessed to building a nationwide heroin distribution network hidden within the dark web. The feds say Green, operating under the aliases “CaliClaire” and “clairebear2,” peddled the deadly opioid through encrypted channels and the U.S. Postal Service for over a year. The operation, which ran…
Justin Ryan Best, Steroid Trafficking, Maryland 2021
Greenbelt, MD – Justin Ryan Best, 46, of Laurel, Maryland, is facing up to ten years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. The U.S. Naval Intelligence software engineer wasn’t just coding for the nation; he was cooking up illegal steroids in his basement,…
Russell Ramseur, Heroin Distribution, Maryland 2021
Greenbelt, MD – Russell Ramseur, 44, of Largo, Maryland, is trading street corners for federal prison cells after being sentenced to seven years for peddling heroin through the murky depths of the dark web. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel handed down the sentence today, adding another five years of supervised release to the term.…
Benjamin J. Wilson, Child Pornography, Peoria IL, 2021
PEORIA, IL – Benjamin J. Wilson, 42, formerly of Peoria, Illinois, is headed to federal prison for 90 months after pleading guilty to possessing horrific images of child sexual abuse. The sentence, handed down November 18, 2021, reflects the gravity of the crime and the lasting trauma inflicted upon the victims depicted in the illegal…
Travis Lee McKie, Child Pornography, Iowa 2021
DAVENPORT, Iowa – Travis Lee McKie, 41, of Aiken, South Carolina, will spend the next 27 years and 1 month in federal prison after being sentenced Wednesday for the production of child pornography. Chief Judge John A. Jarvey of the U.S. District Court handed down the 325-month sentence, followed by 10 years of supervised release.…
Keith Hancock, Voyeurism & Trespass, Waterford CT, 2022
WATERFORD, CT – Keith Hancock, 53, of Waterford, Connecticut, is facing serious charges after a late-night report of a suspicious person led to the discovery of a disturbing pattern of covert surveillance. Hancock was arrested on Tuesday, January 18th, and charged with voyeurism and criminal trespass, following a forensic investigation aided by the U.S. Secret…
Joseph Zakhari, Child Exploitation, Louisville KY, 2022
LOUISVILLE, KY – Joseph Samir Zakhari, 34, is headed to federal prison for 15 years after being convicted of preying on a child online. Zakhari received the sentence this week, followed by 10 years of supervised release, with no chance of parole. The case highlights the dark underbelly of online interactions and the dangers facing…
John Jacobs Ahrens, Threat to President, Tulsa OK, 2022
TULSA, OK – John Jacobs Ahrens, 59, of Tulsa, will spend the next 30 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to threatening the life of President Joseph Biden and the families of members of Congress. The sentencing, handed down Monday by U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel, underscores a growing pattern of violent rhetoric…
