Romanian hackers on trial in Ohio stole millions and victimized thousands through malware, feds say
Hat tip, ZDNet:
The Bayrob malware gang's rise and fall
The story of how a talented computer science student and his friends created and ran a multi-million dollar botnet.
By Catalin Cimpanu for Zero Day | April 13, 2019 -- 12:58 GMT (05:58 PDT) | Topic: Security
COURTS AND JUSTICE
Romanian hackers on trial in Ohio stole millions and victimized thousands through malware, feds say
Updated Apr 11, 2019; Posted Mar 25, 2019
By Eric Heisig, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio It took two mistakes for the FBI and other law enforcement to identify a group of hackers in Romania behind sophisticated malware programs that victimized thousands of people, a federal prosecutor told a jury Monday. ... The cybercriminals known as the Bayrob Group did a good job masking their identities, Justice Department senior counsel Brian Levine said Monday during opening statements at a trial in federal court in Cleveland. Their cautiousness allowed them to get away with it for nine years as they ripped off people in Ohio, the United States and the world to the tune of millions of dollars, Levine said.
Bogdan Nicolescu, Tiberiu Danet and Radu Miclaus the three men the FBI accused of being involved were arrested in Bucharest, Romanias capital city, in September 2016 and brought to the U.S. that December on a 21-count indictment. ... Nicolescu, a 36-year-old whom prosecutors say led the operation, and Miclaus began both men face prison time if a jury convicts them on charges ranging from wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Prosecutors said in 2016 that victims lost at least $4 millions through sophisticated schemes that resulted in 11 million malicious emails sent to unsuspecting recipients.
The jury was selected Monday, followed by opening statements and testimony in Chief U.S. District Judge Patricia Gaughans courtroom. ... Danet pleaded guilty in November to eight counts and is expected to testify against his co-defendants.
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The trial is expected to last up to three weeks.
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Bayrob Gang Indictment