NEWARK, N.J. – Two Russian nationals, Aleksey Timofeyevich Stroganov and Tim Stigal, were charged in separate indictments for their involvement in extensive hacking and fraud activities, as announced by U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger. The indictments, unsealed in the District of New Jersey, detail the charges against both individuals.
Stroganov, also known as “flint” and several other aliases, was involved in a conspiracy from May 2007 through July 2017 to hack into networks to steal credit and debit card numbers and personal information. He operated a network that trafficked data from millions of accounts, causing over $35 million in losses to financial institutions.
Stroganov faces charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The wire and bank fraud charges could lead to a maximum sentence of 20 and 30 years in prison, respectively, along with substantial fines. The aggravated identity theft charge mandates a two-year consecutive prison term.
Stigal, known as “Key,” engaged in multiple conspiracies from April 2014 to March 2016, involving the trafficking of stolen payment card information and attempted extortion of a corporate victim. He threatened to release personal data unless a ransom was paid.
Stigal’s charges include wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, computer fraud extortion, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The wire fraud and extortion charges carry maximum sentences of 20 and 5 years in prison, respectively, along with fines. Access device fraud is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and the identity theft charge also requires a mandatory two-year consecutive sentence.