Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Russian article.
The U.S. Department of Justice says Oleg Korniev, a 42-year-old dual Russian and Ukrainian citizen, has pleaded guilty to running an international operation that laundered millions of dollars stolen from U.S. citizens by cybercriminals around the world.
According to a DOJ statement issued last week (October 8), Korniev was one of the leaders of Your Mule Cashout (YMCO), a sophisticated, highly organized operation that combined a network of “money mules” with an online infrastructure.
The system enabled cybercriminals to conceal their tracks and transfer stolen funds from U.S. bank accounts to destinations outside the United States.
Led by Korniev, the organization primarily funneled stolen money to Eastern European countries and collected commissions on the transfers, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The organization laundered the proceeds through “money mules”— people living in the United States whom YMCO deceived into believing they were conducting legitimate financial transactions on behalf of legitimate businesses.
In total, the international criminal organization recruited more than 15,000 money mules across the United States. They were used to launder at least $10 million stolen by hackers from more than 750 American bank accounts, the DOJ says.
Under his plea agreement, Korniev admitted that his organization’s activities caused losses exceeding $14.7 million. He also acknowledged intending to launder more than $9.7 million obtained from cybercriminals and actually laundering at least $7 million.
Korniev further agreed to make full restitution to the victims and forfeit his rights to funds seized when he was arrested in Georgia.
Korniev has pleaded guilty, but his sentencing date has not yet been set. He faces a potential prison sentence ranging from two to 50 years.
Four other defendants in the YMCO case were previously arrested abroad and extradited to the United States. They also pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit money laundering and received prison sentences ranging from 37 to 63 months.
The FBI is leading the investigation in cooperation with the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Georgian law enforcement authorities, including the prosecutor’s office.
“The FBI has worked tirelessly for years to uncover the scheme behind this international money-laundering operation and hold Mr. Korniev accountable,” said Reid Davis, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Charlotte field office in North Carolina.
“No matter how carefully criminals try to hide behind international borders and technology, we will continue pursuing those who enable cybercriminals until every offender is held accountable,” Davis added.