Vyacheslav Khaimov, a 55-year-old man from Brooklyn, New York, has admitted taking part in an international cybercrime scheme and pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
Khaimov was initially charged with conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and money laundering.
According to authorities, cybercriminals used “sophisticated malware” to gain access to bank accounts, mostly belonging to people in the United States. The funds stolen from these accounts were wired to money mules in the U.S., who sent it to other intermediaries in the country, including Khaimov, or directly overseas.
The FBI determined that Khaimov, who had been using the alias “Samuel Gold,” received tens of thousands of dollars on numerous occasions from other mules, and forwarded the money to overseas co-conspirators, including to accounts in Thailand and various companies operated by these co-conspirators.
Investigators said Khaimov and a company he owned received more than $230,000 taken from the accounts of at least eight victims. Authorities believe the man was involved in fraudulent wire transfers pertaining to at least 20 victims.
The FBI has identified more than 20 money mules and over 30 victims. The cybercrime operation caused over $1.2 million in losses, but the fraudsters attempted to steal more than $6 million.
The FBI’s investigation into this scheme is ongoing and the agency says it’s determined to bring all co-conspirators to justice – court documents show there are at least four.
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Related Reading: Cyber Threat Intelligence Shows Majority of Cybercrime is NOT Sophisticated
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Eduard Kovacs (@EduardKovacs) is a contributing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher for two years before starting a career in journalism as Softpedia’s security news reporter. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering.
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