LAS VEGAS — Two international nationals – one Russian, the opposite North Macedonian – had been sentenced March 19, for his or her position within the Infraud Group, a transnational cybercrime enterprise engaged within the mass acquisition and sale of fraud-related items and providers, together with stolen identities, compromised bank card knowledge, laptop malware and different contraband. Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) Las Vegas workplace and the Police Division of Henderson, Nevada, investigated the case.
“Whereas felony operators lurk within the deepest corners of the web, they finally don’t escape the attain of regulation enforcement,” mentioned Particular Agent in Cost of HSI Las Vegas Francisco Burrola. “We’ll proceed to aggressively examine, disrupt, and dismantle hidden unlawful networks that pose a risk in our on-line world. HSI and our companions are on the forefront of combating cyber monetary crimes and illicit actions unfold by on-line criminals in search of monetary acquire.”
Sergey Medvedev, aka “Stells,” “segmed,” and “serjbear,” 33, of Russia, pleaded responsible within the District of Nevada to 1 rely of racketeering conspiracy in June 2020, and was sentenced at present to 10 years in jail. In response to courtroom paperwork, Medvedev was a co-founder of Infraud together with Syvatoslav Bondarenko of Ukraine. From November 2010 till Infraud was taken down by regulation enforcement in February 2018, Medvedev was an lively participant within the Infraud on-line discussion board, working an “escrow” service to facilitate unlawful transactions amongst Infraud members. For a number of years, Medvedev served as Infraud’s administrator, dealing with day-to-day administration, deciding membership, and meting out self-discipline to those that violated the enterprise’s guidelines.
Marko Leopard, aka “Leopardmk,” 31, of North Macedonia, pleaded responsible within the District of Nevada to 1 rely of racketeering conspiracy in November 2019 and was sentenced at present to 5 years in jail. In response to courtroom paperwork, Leopard joined Infraud in June 2011, providing his providers as an “abuse immunity” internet hoster to Infraud members who wished to create web sites to promote contraband. Not like a authentic host, Leopard would knowingly cater to web sites providing unlawful items and providers, ignoring any abuse experiences from web customers. He hosted numerous websites for Infraud members on this vogue, offering the infrastructure that allowed his co-conspirators to revenue off of their felony actions.
“Dismantling a cybercrime group like Infraud requires aggressive pursuit of not solely those that steal, promote, and use private knowledge, but in addition those that present the infrastructure that permits cybercrime organizations to function,” mentioned Appearing Assistant Lawyer Common Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Division’s Prison Division. “Right this moment’s sentences ought to function a warning to any internet host who willingly appears to be like the opposite manner for a fast buck — and that america will maintain these dangerous actors accountable, even after they function behind a pc display midway internationally.”
Infraud was a felony enterprise that existed to complement its members and associates by means of a myriad of felony acts of identification theft and monetary fraud. Infraud facilitated the sale of contraband by its members, together with counterfeit paperwork, stolen checking account and credit score account data and stolen private figuring out data. Members and associates of Infraud operated all through the world and america, to incorporate Las Vegas. The enterprise, which boasted over 10,000 members at its peak and operated for greater than seven years underneath the slogan “In Fraud We Belief,” is among the many largest ever prosecuted by the Division of Justice.
Infraud was answerable for the sale and/or buy of over 4 million compromised credit score and debit card numbers. The precise loss related to Infraud was in extra of $568 million.
The Justice Division’s Workplace of Worldwide Affairs supplied vital help in securing the defendant’s extradition from Croatia. Deputy Chief Kelly Pearson and Trial Attorneys Chad McHenry and Alexander Gottfried of the Justice Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Part prosecuted the case.