Yaroslav Vasinskyi, also known as Rabotnik in the cybercrime world, has been sentenced to 13 years and seven months in prison for his role in over 2,500 ransomware attacks, during which he demanded more than $700 million.
This sentencing aligns with a commitment made by US President Joe Biden in November 2021 to aggressively pursue ransomware criminals.
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Vasinskyi was extradited from Poland to the US, where he pleaded guilty to an 11-count indictment, which included charges of computer fraud, computer damage, and money laundering conspiracy. He was also ordered to pay over $16 million in restitution.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said:
As this sentencing shows, the Justice Department is working with our international partners and using all tools at our disposal to identify cybercriminals, capture their illicit profits, and hold them accountable for their crimes.
Rabotnik was an affiliate of the ransomware gang REvil. Such groups often demand payments in crypto and use mixing services to conceal the origins of their illegal gains.
In March 2022, with help from Russian authorities, the US led a raid that dismantled the group. In 2023, the DOJ seized nearly 40 Bitcoins, valued at approximately $2.3 million, along with $6.1 million in funds traceable to ransom payments received by Vasinskyi's co-conspirators.
This case not only brings a cybercriminal to justice but also disrupts the operational capabilities of ransomware groups like REvil.
In other news, the North Korean state-backed hacking organization Lazarus Group reportedly laundered over $200 million in crypto from 2020 to 2023.
