Los Angeles County’s court system was weaponized by a Houston hacker who launched a massive phishing scheme using stolen employee credentials, federal prosecutors allege. Oriyomi Sadiq Aloba, 32, was indicted by a federal grand jury on 11 counts tied to a cyber attack that sent approximately 2 million fraudulent emails under the guise of American Express.
The indictment charges Aloba with five counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, one count of unauthorized impairment of a protected computer, and five counts of aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors say over the course of a week in late July 2017, Aloba accessed at least 18 Los Angeles County Superior Court (LASC) employee accounts, using their login credentials to infiltrate internal servers and deploy his malicious campaign.
From compromised LASC email systems, Aloba sent phishing emails to addresses outside the court’s network, directing recipients to a counterfeit American Express website. The fake site prompted victims to enter login credentials, personal identifying information, and credit card details—data that was funneled directly to Aloba through backend source code configured to route the stolen information to his account.
Investigators allege Aloba tested the operation extensively, sending trial phishing emails to himself to verify access and bypass security measures. The scale of the breach exposed thousands to potential financial fraud and compromised the integrity of one of California’s largest judicial IT infrastructures.
Aloba was first charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney before the case was escalated to federal authorities. He was initially charged in federal court on January 10 and made his first appearance on January 17, when he was released on a $10,000 bond. His arraignment on the full indictment is scheduled for March 8.
If convicted, Aloba faces up to 10 years in prison for the computer impairment charge, five years for each unauthorized access count, and a mandatory two-year sentence for each identity theft charge—stacking potential decades behind bars. The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robyn Bacon of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section. An indictment is not a conviction—Aloba is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
RELATED: Homietos Motorcycle Gang Crushed
RELATED: Houston Courier Admits to Coast-to-Coast Coke Runs
Related Federal Cases
- David Chesley Goodyear Convicted in Oklahoma Cyber-Attack · Oklahoma
- UAE Cyber Crook Gets 8+ Years for $8M Scam · Illinois
- Michael Persaud Indicted in $1M Cyber Spam Fraud · Wisconsin
- Three Nigerians Convicted in $2M Cyber Fraud Scheme · Mississippi
- Nigerian Cyber Fraud Ringleaders Get Decades in Federal Prison · Mississippi
Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
CybercrimeCybercrimeCybercrimeCybercrime