An Iranian national pleaded guilty Tuesday to participating in an international ransomware scheme that resulted in tens of millions of dollars in losses to U.S. cities, corporations, healthcare organizations, and other entities in California, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Oregon.
Sina Gholinejad, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of computer fraud and abuse and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal district court in North Carolina, the Department of Justice said in a news release. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced in August.
Beginning in January 2019, Gholinejad and others gained and maintained unauthorized access to computer networks and then copied information from to virtual private servers they controlled, the DOJ said. The conspirators also deployed RobbinHood ransomware to encrypt files and extort Bitcoin from the victims in exchange for the private key required to decrypt their computer files.
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