NEW CASTLE, Pa. (WKBN) – A multi-national law enforcement effort has ended with the indictment of suspected foreign cybercriminals that are accused of bilking more than $100 million from several U.S. businesses, including a paving company in New Castle.
According to the Attorney General’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, an organized group of hackers and tech-minded criminals were indicted for taking control of over 41,000 computer systems, gaining banking information through GozNym malware and then transferring millions of dollars electronically to other bank accounts.
Prosecutors say members of the criminal network spanned four countries, including Bulgaria, Russia, Georgia and Ukraine.
The specialized criminals range in age from 28 to 41 and advertised their technical expertise on underground websites where they were recruited by Alexander Konovolov, of Tbilisi, Georgia, prosecutors say.
Several U.S. businesses were victims of the operation including a business in New Castle that prosecutors only identify as a paving company. Other businesses include a church in Texas, a medical supply company in Florida, a casino in Mississippi and an agency that caters to those with disabilities in Illinois, among others.
Some of the those accused in the cybercrime network remain fugitives and live in Russia, according to prosecutors.
