Virginia twins arrested for allegedly deleting government databases
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Two twin brothers from Virginia have been arrested for their alleged role in deleting government databases hosted by a federal government contractor, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter, both 34, were charged last month with conspiring to delete databases used to store U.S. government information, the Justice Department said in a news release.
The arrests come after Bloomberg News reported in May how the brothers allegedly compromised data at various agencies, including the IRS and General Services Administration.
The brothers also pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges in 2015 in connection with data breaches at the State Department and a cosmetics company.
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Sohaib Akhter (left) and his twin brother Muneeb. (Getty Images)
Both served several years in prison before taking jobs as engineers for Opexus, a federal contractor that helps process U.S. government records.
In its latest lawsuit filed against the two men on Wednesday, the Justice Department alleged that after their duties as federal contractors ended, the pair attempted to harm their former employers and U.S. government clients by gaining unauthorized access to computers, issuing commands that prevented others from modifying databases before they were removed, deleting databases, stealing information and destroying evidence of their activities.
The indictment alleges that in February, Muneeb Akhter deleted approximately 100 databases storing U.S. government information, including sensitive investigative files of federal government components, as well as many databases containing Freedom of Information Act records maintained by the federal government.
Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter, both 34, were charged with conspiring to delete databases used to store U.S. government information. (iStock)
About a minute after deleting the DHS database, Muneeb Akhter allegedly asked an AI tool how to clear system logs after deleting the databases.
The brothers also talked about cleaning their home in anticipation of a police call. The company laptops the couple used were wiped before being returned to the federal contractor.
It was also alleged that Muneeb Akhter received unauthorized information from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after he was fired from the contractor. He is also accused of stealing copies of IRS information stored in a virtual machine, including federal tax information and other identifying information of at least 450 people.
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The brothers had previously served sentences in connection with data breaches at the State Department and a cosmetics company. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Sohaib Akhter is also accused of trading in a password that could access a computer used by and for the U.S. government.
“These defendants abused their positions as federal contractors to attack government databases and steal sensitive government information. Their actions compromised the security of government systems and disrupted the ability of agencies to serve the American people,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in a statement.
Muneeb Akhter is charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and destruction of records, two counts of computer fraud, theft of U.S. government records and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Sohaib Akhter is charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud, destruction of records and conspiracy to commit computer fraud.
