Threat Management

Extradited Ukrainian indicted in cyber money laundering scheme

Ukrainian national Viktor Chostak will face charges related to a 25-count indictment in a Charlotte, NC federal court after being extradited from Poland.

Chostak's charges relate to a $10 million international cyber money laundering operation that he and three other individuals allegedly conducted.

The charges include “conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit computer fraud, conspiracy to commit access device fraud and six counts of aggravated identity theft,” according to an Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) statement.

“The organization created and operated a sophisticated online infrastructure that allowed hackers to obtain and conceal stolen money, primarily from U.S. companies' bank accounts, and transfer it to countries outside the United States,” the FBI said.

This was done by recruiting individuals through phishing scams that promised job opportunities, but instead the victims who answered the scam emails had their personal bank accounts unknowingly used to launder stolen funds.

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