Russian fraudsters siphoned $63 million from Americans and global citizens: DOJ
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Three Russian citizens are alleged to have defrauded Americans in 21 states out of more than $63 million, according to the December 2024 indictment unsealed Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.
Threesome – Alexander Alexandrovich Volosovik, 43; Kirill Andreevich Zatolokin, 34; and Yulia Vladimirovna Pankova, 29, St. Louis, according to federal prosecutors. They conducted “malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure” through their St. Petersburg, Russia-based companies Media Land, LLC and ML.Cloud, LLC.
“From their safe haven abroad, these defendants orchestrated the criminal infrastructure that supported attacks on critical institutions across our nation,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. expression.
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“Their actions put the American people at risk. We will continue to dismantle these networks and protect our critical infrastructure from cybercriminals at home and abroad,” Duva added.
Alexander Alexandrovich Volosovik, Yulia Vladimirovna Pankova and Kirill Andreevich Zatolokin. (U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio)
A grand jury indicted the trio in December 2024 on charges of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, conspiracy to aid and abet, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program is offering up to $10 million for information about the trio’s foreign government-connected associates or subsidiaries of their companies.
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USA and allied countries sanctions imposed In companies in 2025
According to Media Land and MLCloud indictmentprovided hosting services and information technology infrastructure to businesses both in the United States and abroad. In particular, groups offered “bulletproof hosting” services intended for use by those trying to avoid detection by law enforcement.
The companies “provide infrastructure and technical support to their accomplices, along with tools to infect victim computers with malware and ransomware, and then extort those victims for money and cryptocurrency,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in Tuesday’s announcement.
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“Other computer-based crimes facilitated by Media Land and ML.Cloud include supporting criminal marketplaces, fraudulent domain name registrations, and providing the platform from which to launch phishing and brute force attacks,” the announcement said. expressions were also added.
While many U.S. citizens have fallen victim to the group’s products, its organizations have targeted victims around the world, prompting U.S. officials to cooperate with international partners; The US attorney and the FBI also emphasized this fact.
David Toepfer, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio (US Department of Justice)
“The victims in this case touch every aspect of Americans’ lives, not only in Ohio but also in 20 other states across the country. They include banks, schools, government agencies, hospitals and media companies,” David M. Toepfer, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, said in a statement. he said. “Together with our international partners, we will aggressively combat the efforts of individuals hiding behind computers anywhere in the world who seek to profit and wreak havoc by targeting the infrastructures that support our communities.”
Other international organizations Toepfer thanked included the Dutch National Police and the Dutch Public Prosecutor’s Office, the UK National Crime Agency, the UK Foreign Community and Development Office, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Federal Police.
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FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Josh DelManzo also said: “Today’s announcement underscores the importance of global partnerships and international cooperation, especially in a borderless world filled with cybercriminals.”
FBI headquarters building in Washington, D.C., on July 3, 2023. (Celal Güneş/Anadolu Agency, via Getty Images)
“The methods used by these bad actors, including ransomware, malware, phishing, and other cyber activities, serve as a reminder that when you go online, whether for business or personal use, criminal networks will stop at nothing to hack, attack, share, or sell your information for their own greed, gain, and profit. The FBI and its partners will continue to identify and cripple criminal networks and freeze their infrastructure to reduce or eliminate threats to the public and further protect trusting individuals and companies.”
Fox News Digital has contacted the Department of Justice for further comment.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation.
