PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Russian man who was arrested in Rome and charged in a hacking and extortion scheme that targeted businesses in Philadelphia has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors.
Aleksei Volkov will plead guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, money laundering and identity theft.
Court documents show the 25-year-old is accused of serving as a broker of sorts to computer criminals. Authorities said he would illegally gain access to corporate networks and offer them up for use in a ransomware attack in exchange for a portion of the proceeds.
Government lawyers said two companies in Philadelphia were among the victims. One paid half a million dollars in bitcoin to get its data back.
Due to the guilty plea, Volkov is unlikely to receive the maximum penalty of 50-plus years behind bars. He is scheduled to make the plea on Nov. 25 in federal court in Indiana.
This story was first reported by Court Watch.
