A Russian national has been charged with multiple offenses related to the operation of the Kelihos botnet, a global network of tens of thousands of infected computers.
Peter Yuryevich Levashov, 36, aka Petr Levashov, Peter Severa, Petr Severa and Sergey Astakhov, of St. Petersburg, Russia, was charged in an indictment returned in the District of Connecticut with one count of causing intentional damage to a protected computer, one count of conspiracy, one count of accessing protected computers in furtherance of fraud, one count of wire fraud, one count of threatening to damage a protected computer, two counts of fraud in connection with email and one count of aggravated identity theft.
The indictment alleges that Levashov allegedly controlled and operated the Kelihos botnet to, among other things, harvest personal information and means of identification (including email addresses, usernames and logins, and passwords) from infected computers.
Levashov allegedly disseminated spam and distributed other malware – such as banking Trojans and ransomware, and advertised the Kelihos botnet spam and malware services to others for purchase in order to enrich himself.
Spanish authorities arrested Levashov in Barcelona on April 7, 2017. The arrest was based upon a criminal complaint and arrest warrant issued in the District of Connecticut on March 24, 2017.
Levashov has been detained since his arrest, and the Justice Department is seeking his extradition.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The FBI’s New Haven Division and Anchorage Division are investigating the case, with the assistance of the Spanish National Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vanessa Richards and David Huang of the District of Connecticut, with the assistance of Senior Trial Attorneys Anthony Teelucksingh, Ethan Arenson and Harold Chun of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are prosecuting the case.
The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs is handling the extradition in this matter.
Defendant: Peter Yuryevich Levashov
Criminal Charges: One count of causing intentional damage to a protected computer, one count of conspiracy, one count of accessing protected computers in furtherance of fraud, one count of wire fraud, one count of threatening to damage a protected computer, two counts of fraud in connection with email, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
City and State: Bridgeport, Connecticut
Exact Date: March 24, 2017 (arrest warrant) and April 7, 2017 (arrest)
Sentence or Outcome: Detained awaiting extradition
Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Category: Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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