WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th May, 2021) Two Russians pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide hosting services to cybercriminal clients who attacked US companies and financial institutions, the Justice Department said on Friday.
"Four Eastern European nationals have pleaded guilty to conspiring to engage in a Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) arising from their providing 'bulletproof hosting' services between 2008 and 2015, which were used by cybercriminals to distribute malware and attack financial institutions and victims throughout the United States," the department said in a release. "Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison."
Aleksandr Grichishkin and Andrei Skvortsov from Russia, Aleksandr Skorodumov from Lithuania, and Pavel Stassi from Estonia were members of a hosting organization that allegedly helped a number cybercriminals evade detection by US law enforcement after they caused millions of Dollars in losses to American victims, the release said.
Grichishkin and Skvortsov were founding members and proprietors of the organization while Skorodumov was one of the organization's lead systems administrators and Stassi was responsible for various administrative tasks, the release added.
According to the release, Stassi, Skorodumov, and Grichishkin pleaded guilty in February and March 2021 to one count of a Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) conspiracy, while Skvortsov pleaded guilty to the same charge on Friday.
