WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th March, 2022) A US judge sentenced Estonian national Maksim Berezan to more than five years in prison for his role in ransomware attacks that caused more than $50 million in financial losses, the Justice Department said on Friday.
"An Estonian man was sentenced today to 66 months in prison for his years-long role in furthering and facilitating computer intrusions, the movement of fraudulently obtained goods and funds, and the monetization of stolen financial account information," the department said in a statement. "He also participated in ransomware attacks causing over $53 million in losses and was ordered to pay over $36 million in restitution."
Berezan, 37, who was detained in Latvia and extradited to the United States, was an active member of a Russian-speaking online cybercriminal forum, according to the release.
In April of 2021, the release added, Berezan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution and conspiracy to commit access device fraud and computer intrusions.
Berezan participated in at least 13 ransomware attacks, including seven against American victims, the release said. US authorities said about $11 million worth of the ransom payments ended up in cryptocurrency wallets he controlled.
Berezan bought two Porsches, a Ducati motorcycle, and a cache of jewelry with his ill-gotten gains, according to the Justice Department. The authorities also recovered Currency worth more than $200,000 and electronic devices that stored passphrases to Bitcoin wallets that contained Bitcoin worth about $1.7 million, all of which was seized, the release added.
