WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th November, 2022) A Russian-Canadian national has been sanctioned over his participation in the Lockbit Global Ransomware Campaign, the Department of Justice said in a statement.
"A Russian and Canadian national has been charged with participating in the LockBit global ransomware campaign, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, and FBI-Newark Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy announced today," the DoJ said in a statement.
The individual who was arrested on November 9, 2022, was identified as Mikhail Vasiliev, aged 33, from the city of Bradford in the Province of Ontario, the statement said.
The arrest of the Russian-Canadian national was made possible after over two and a half years of investigation into the Lockbit group, the statement added.
Vasiliev is currently awaiting extradition to the United States, where he will face proceedings in the District of New Jersey, the statement pursued.
The activity of the Lockbit Ransomware Group was first recorded in January 2020, according to the statement, adding that over one thousand individuals fell victim to them, in the US and around the world, giving "tens of millions of Dollars" to the cyber criminals.
