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Friday, March 29, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Brokerage Hacker|Gets 3 Years in Jail

(CN) - A computer hacker was sentenced to 3 years and 1 month in prison yesterday for hacking into brokerage accounts at Charles Schwab and laundering more than $246,000, some of which he sent to co-conspirators in Russia.

From September 2006 to December 2007, Aleksey Volynskiy used Trojan horse computer viruses to steal victims' personal account information in order to hack into their bank and brokerage accounts, according to his indictment.

Once inside, Volynskiy and co-defendant Alexander Bobnev made unauthorized wire transfers and securities sales. They then set up various "drop" accounts in the United States through which they funneled some of the money back to Russian accomplices.

Volynskiy also sold 180,000 stolen credit card numbers to a cooperating witness, directing them to be made into credit cards that could be used to withdraw money from ATMs.

He was arrested on Dec. 4, 2008, and pleaded guilty to five counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and unlawfully access and damage a protected computer, money laundering and access device fraud.

U.S. District Judge Denny Chin in Manhattan sentenced Volynskiy to 37 months in prison and ordered him to pay $60,000 in restitution and forfeitures.

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