LEXINGTON, Ky. – Mikhy Farrera-Brochez, a 34-year-old man hailing from Winchester, Kentucky, has been convicted by a federal jury of a brazen scheme involving threats against the Government of Singapore and the malicious handling of sensitive personal data. The verdict, delivered Tuesday, June 4, 2019, after a two-day trial in U.S. District Court, marks a significant win for federal investigators battling international cybercrime.
Farrera-Brochez was found guilty on two counts of sending threatening communications to the Government of Singapore and its Ministry of Health. But the charges don’t stop there. The jury also convicted him of one count of possessing and transferring the means of identity of other people in interstate and foreign commerce with the intent to commit, or in connection with, another crime – a particularly nasty element in this case.
The evidence presented at trial revealed a calculated breach of security. Farrera-Brochez illegally obtained access to a database belonging to the Singaporean Ministry of Health. This database contained the private identifying and medical information of *thousands* of people in Singapore living with HIV, including over 50 U.S. citizens. He didn’t just stop at access; he downloaded the data and sent it to his mother in Kentucky, later retrieving it upon his return in 2018.
On January 22, 2019, Farrera-Brochez escalated his actions, sending an email to several Singaporean government officials. The email included links to online locations where he had uploaded copies of the stolen HIV database, coupled with a series of demands. When those demands weren’t met, he doubled down, sending a second threatening email on February 18, 2019, explicitly threatening to publish the database.
The sentencing is scheduled for September 27, 2019, at the federal courthouse in Lexington. Farrera-Brochez now faces a potentially lengthy prison term. He could receive up to 2 years imprisonment for each count of sending threatening communications, and up to 5 years for the identity theft charge. The final sentence will be determined after careful consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant federal statutes.
Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and James Robert Brown, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, jointly announced the conviction. The FBI spearheaded the investigation, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dmitriy Slavin and Special Assistant United States Attorney James Chapman. This case serves as a stark reminder that cybercrime knows no borders, and those who attempt to exploit sensitive data will be brought to justice.
Related Federal Cases
- Kentucky Trio Funneled Funds to North Korea · Kentucky
- Winchester Man Admits Hacking Site to Threaten Teens · Kentucky
- Kent Man Arrested for Online Threats to Kill Trump Family, Bomb Synagogues · Kentucky
- Bremerton Swatter Ashton Connor Garcia Jailed 3 Years for Extensive Harassment Campaign · Pennsylvania
- Bremerton Swatter Gets 3 Years for Cross-Border Terror · Pennsylvania
Key Facts
- State: Kentucky
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
CybercrimeCybercrimeCybercrimeCybercrime