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Seventh Member of International Cyber Fraud Ring Sentenced to Prison

The US Department of Justice on Friday announced the sentencing of John Telusma, a former member of the international cybercrime enterprise known as the “Infraud Organization.”

The US Department of Justice on Friday announced the sentencing of John Telusma, a former member of the international cybercrime enterprise known as the “Infraud Organization.”

The Infraud Organization was active for roughly seven years, being responsible for transacting over four million stolen credit and debit card numbers, which resulted in losses that exceeded $568 million dollars.

Operating under the slogan “In Fraud We Trust” and boasting more than 10,000 members at its peak, the fraud ring engaged in the acquisition and sale of credit and debit card data, stolen identities, malware, and other fraud-related goods and services.

According to court documents, Telusma, of Brooklyn, New York, was one of the most prolific and active members of the fraud ring, purchasing credit card data and using it for his personal gain, and also assisting other members of the enterprise in monetizing their fraudulent activities.

Also known as Peterelliot, Telusma pleaded guilty in October 2021 to one count of racketeering conspiracy. Last week, he was sentenced to four years in prison.

Six other members of the Infraud Organization have been sentenced to prison to date, including co-founder Sergey Medvedev, of Russia (10 years in prison); malware developer Valerian Chiochiu, of California (10 years); Arnaldo Sanchez Torteya, of Mexico (8 years), Edgar Rojas, of Venezuela (8 years); Jose Gamboa, of California (8 years); and Pius Wilson, of New York (7 years).

In January 2022, Russian authorities – Moscow’s FSB security agency included – announced the arrest of four alleged members of the Infraud Organization, including Andrey Sergeevich Novak, a suspected co-founder and leader of the enterprise, as well as Kirill Samokutyaev, Konstantin Vladimirovich Bergman and Mark Avramovich Bergman.

The Infraud Organization was taken down in 2018, when the US announced the arrest of 13 alleged members of the fraud ring, and charges against a total of 36 individuals in the US, France, UK, Egypt, Pakistan, Kosovo, Serbia, Australia, Bangladesh, and Canada.

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Related: Ukrainian Sentenced to US Prison for Selling Hacked Credentials

Related: Estonian Ransomware Operator Sentenced to Prison in US

Related: Third Member of FIN7 Cybercrime Gang Sentenced to US Prison

Written By

Ionut Arghire is an international correspondent for SecurityWeek.

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