(CN) - An Iranian national admitted to helping hack a Vermont consulting and software company three years ago to steal business information, the Justice Department said Wednesday.
Nima Golestaneh pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and unauthorized access to computers. Golestaneh, 30, and co-conspirators hacked the network and computers at Arrow Tech Associates Inc. in October 2012, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
The government says he acquired servers in other countries to use remotely for hacking companies like Vermont-based Arrow Tech because the servers masked the hackers' location and identities.
An unnamed co-conspirator used servers secured by Golestaneh to hack Arrow Tech's network, according to the Justice Department. The intruder allegedly stole the company's software product and other proprietary information.
Golestaneh was arrested in Turkey in 2013 in connection with the charges. He was extradited to the United States on Feb. 12 of this year. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison.
"Cyber criminals are not immune from the law because they hack from faraway countries that they perceive as offering a safe haven," Vermont U.S. Attorney Eric Miller said in a statement.
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