Russian Hacking Group Evil Corp. Charged By Federal Prosecutors In Alleged Bank Fraud
BOBBY ALLYN, 05 December 2019
Federal law enforcement officials have announced criminal charges against two Russian nationals who operate a hacking organization known as Evil Corp., a group officials say is responsible for one of the most sweeping banking fraud schemes in the past decade.
The criminal indictments were unsealed in Pittsburgh, Pa., and Lincoln, Nebraska, against Maksim Yakubets, 32, and Igor Turashev, 38, both of whom live in Russia. The duo are accused of bank and wire fraud and computer hacking, among other counts.
Trump officials are offering $5 million for information that leads to the arrest of Yakubets, the leader of Evil Corp. Authorities say he lived a extravagant and flamboyant life with his ill-gotten gains, driving a Lamborghini with a license plate that reads “Thief” in Russian.
Russia typically does not extradite its citizens to the U.S. for prosecution, but authorities said that would not discourage their efforts.
Operating from the basements of Moscow cafes, investigators say Yakubets’ group targeted victims in some 21 municipalities in one of the most widespread malware campaigns U.S. authorities have ever encountered.
