14 more charged in QQAAZZ international cyber conspiracy
Fourteen more alleged members of an international criminal group called QQAAZZ have been charged in Pittsburgh with laundering money for cybercriminals worldwide.
The case was unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court.
A related indictment returned last year had charged five other members, and an additional accused conspirator from Russia had been charged by complaint in March 2020 while visiting the U.S.
The new case, announced by U.S. Attorney Scott Brady and Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Rabbitt, bringsthe total charged to 20.
QQAAZZ members acted in concert with cybercriminals worldwide, according to the Justice Department, and conspired to launder money stolen from victims of online fraud.
Mr. Brady and Mr. Rabbitt said more than 40 homes have been searched as part of the investigation in Latvia, Bulgaria, the U.K., Spain and Italy. Prosecutions have been initiated in the U.S., Portugal,
Spainand the U.K.
The largest number of searches and arrests were carried out in Latvia, officials said, and an extensive bitcoin mining operation associated with the group was seized in Bulgaria.
Law enforcement agencies in Europe are working with U.S.authorities on the case.
Mr. Brady said for the past several years, agencies from 16 countries have been conducting coordinated investigationsof QQAAZZ.
Michael Christman, special agent in charge of Pittsburgh FBI, said the case highlights the FBI’s strategy to “target and dismantle” cybercriminal enterprises through a “global task force approach.”
The indictment in Pittsburgh alleges QQAAZZ laundered or attempted to launder “tens of millions of dollars” worth of stolen funds since 2016.
The network opened and maintained hundreds of corporate and personal bank accounts at financial institutions around the world to receivemoney from cybercriminals who stole it from victims’ bank accounts. The money was then transferred to QQAAZZ-controlled accounts or converted to cryptocurrency. QQAAZZ members took a fee of 40% to 50%, theDOJ said.opened
The 14 defendants charged Thursday are:
Nika Nazarovi, 32, of Georgia; Martins Igantjevs, 33, of Latvia; Aleksandre Kobiashvili, 32, of Georgia; Dmitrijs Kuzminovs, 35, of Latvia;Bank Valentins Sevecs, 32, of Latvia; Dmitrijs Slapins, 35, of Latvia; Armens Vecels, 24, of Latvia; Ariom Capacli, 31, of Bulgaria; Ion Cebanu, 26, of Romania; Tomass Trescinkas, 25, of Latvia; Ruslans Sarapovs, 19, of Latvia; Silvestrs Tamenieks, 21, of Latvia; Abdelhak Hamdaoui, 48, of Belgium; and Petar Iliev, 37, of Bulgaria.
In previous cases brought in Pittsburgh involving QQAAZZ, authorities charged six others last year withsimilar counts.
Maksim Boiko, a Russian national, was charged in March after federal agents arrested him in Miami carrying $20,000 in cash.
The FBI said Mr. Boiko was directly involved with the QQAAZZ conspirators from his base in St. Petersburg,
In January of last year, a grand jury in Pittsburgh charged five Latvians in the samescheme.
Prosecutors said the Latvians accounts at banks around the world to receive money for a fee from cybercriminals who stole it from victim accounts, including those held at PNC Bank in Pittsburgh and First National in Pittsburgh.
The FBI said cyberthieves with access to a victim’s bank account would typically contact QQAAZZ, which had about a dozen members operating in Georgia, Bulgaria, Latvia and other countries, to locate a recipient bank account to which they could wire stolen money.
Prosecutors said Thursday the victims who had money stolen from online bank accounts included a technology company in Connecticut; an orthodox synagogue in New York City; a medical device manufacturer in York, Pa.; an individual in New Jersey; an architecture firm in Miami; an individual in the state of Georgia; an automotive parts manufacturer in Michigan; a homebuilder in Illinois;Russia. and individuals in Texas, California, New Jersey and Georgia.