Atlanta federal grand jury indicts Eastern Europeans for alleged computer crimes
On Tuesday, a federal grand jury in Atlanta indicted seven members of an alleged Eastern European organized crime ring on charges of wire fraud, computer fraud and identity theft. The alleged members come from Estonia, Russia and Moldova. Prosecutors say the group stole $9.4 million from the Royal Bank of Scotland Group’s payroll debit systems.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution has the story.
Authorities have called it the most sophisticated computer fraud attack ever. It is believed that the international hacking ring responsible for the attack compromised the data encryption systems of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) WorldPay’s computers in Atlanta. Once compromised, hackers were able to obtain information which connected to payroll debit cards used by corporations to pay their employees by means of ATMs.
Prosecutors believe the hackers raised the account limit and gave “cashers” over 40 fake payroll debit cards. In 12 hours, the cashers were able to withdraw $9.4 million from more than 2,000 ATMs in nearly 300 cities across the globe. The cashers kept a share of the profits and sent the rest to various Eastern Europeans. After the scam occurred, authorities believe that the hackers attempted to cover their tracks by destroying data on the compromised network.
Those charged with identity theft, conspiracy to commit computer fraud, computer fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud include Sergei Tsurikov of Tallinn, Estonia; Viktor Pleshchuk of St. Petersburg, Russia; and Oleg Covelin of Chisinau, Moldova. Ronald Tsoi, Igor Grudijev, Mihhail Jevgenov and Evelin Tsoi of Tallinn, Estonia have all been charged with access device fraud. The men range in age from 20 to 33.
Among the most serious of these crimes is wire fraud which typically carries a sentence of up to 20 years and a $250,000 fine for each offense. If the fraud is committed against a financial institution, a conviction can result in a 30 year prison sentence and a possible $1,000,000 fine.
Our criminal defense attorneys have successfully defended numerous clients charged in conspiracies involving wire and computer fraud. We have also helped several international clients who have been involved in multinational investigations. In our experience, innocent people with little to no knowledge of any wrongdoings are often swept into conspiracies and treated just as harshly as those who perpetrated the fraudulent acts. In international conspiracy cases, a good criminal defense attorney will work with U.S. and foreign officials to show that his client had no knowledge of any conspiracies or illegal actions. A defense attorney will also examine every step of the international investigation to ensure that U.S. officials followed proper protocol including determining if all warrants were properly obtained and executed, reviewing police recordings and interviewing all relevant witnesses.
Pate & Brody is an accomplished Georgia law firm with offices in Atlanta, Macon and Madison. Our lawyers are dedicated to pursuing justice for people charged with serious crimes. We have successfully represented clients facing serious federal criminal charges and state criminal charges in courts across Georgia. Our lawyers have been recognized on the list of Georgia's "Super Lawyers", and included among Georgia's "Legal Elite" by Georgia Trend Magazine. Page Pate was recently the Chairman of the Criminal Law Section of the Atlanta Bar Association.
