WASHINGTON – A Russian national accused of hacking into US retail computer systems was arrested and ordered to face criminal charges, officials said Monday.
The Department of Justice said an indictment was unsealed following the arrest of Roman Valerevich Seleznev, 30, of Moscow, who uses the moniker “Track2” in the hacker underground.
Officials said Seleznev was indicted in March 2011 but that the indictment had been sealed until his arrest on Saturday.
The statement provided no details on the arrest, but said Seleznev “was arrested this weekend and transported to Guam for an initial appearance” in court on charges of distribution of stolen credit card information.
When asked by AFP, a Justice Department spokesman declined to elaborate on the circumstances of Seleznev’s arrest.
At his court appearance in Guam, Seleznev was ordered detained pending a further hearing scheduled for July 22.
Seleznev is charged with hacking into retail computer systems and installing malicious software to steal credit card numbers in a scheme that operated between October 2009 and February 2011.
He is accused of creating and operating an underground network to facilitate the theft and sales of credit card data.
The charges in the indictment include five counts of bank fraud, eight counts of intentionally causing damage to a protected computer and related offenses including identity theft.
“Cyber crooks should take heed: you cannot hide behind distant keyboards,” said US Attorney Jenny Durkan of the northwest state of Washington, where Seleznev will be tried.
If convicted, the Russian could face up to 30 years in prison on bank fraud charges, and additional incarceration on the other charges in addition to hefty fines. He faces a separate criminal indictment in Nevada on racketeering charges.