Russian charged here pleads guilty to money laundering
A Russian national charged in Pittsburgh with laundering money for cybercriminals worldwide has admitted his guilt before a U.S. judge.
Maksim Boiko, whose online alias is “gangass,” waived indictment by grand jury and pleaded guilty Thursday before U. S. District Judge Marilyn Horan to one count of conspiracy to launder money.
He is among 20 Eastern Europeans accused in Pittsburgh as part of an investigation of QQAAZZ, an organized crime group that provides money laundering services for cybercriminals around the globe.
Mr. Boiko was charged in March following the indictment of five Latvians in Pittsburgh on similar charges in January. Fourteen more alleged conspirators were indicted here in October.
Mr. Boiko was arrested in Miami after entering the U.S. in January with his wife. Authorities said he was carrying $20,000 in cash.
He told customs agents the money was from investments in Bitcoin and rental property in Russia, but the FBI said he is really a money launderer who provides access to bank accounts for receiving stolen money from victims of cybercrime.
Pittsburgh FBI agents said Mr. Boiko was directly involved with QQAAZZ from his base in St. Petersburg, Russia, and had a close relationship with one of the leaders.
The investigation of QQAAZZ resulted in searches of more than 40 homes in Latvia, Bulgaria, the U.K., Spain and Italy, with prosecutions occurring in the U.S., Portugal, Spain and the U.K.
The Pittsburgh indictment alleges that QQAAZZ laundered or tried to launder tens of millions of dollars since 2016.
The network opened and maintained hundreds of corporate and personal bank accounts at financial institutions around the world to receive money from cybercriminals who stole it from victim bank accounts. The money was then transferred to QQAAZZ- controlled accounts or converted to cryptocurrency. QQAAZZ members took a fee of 40% to 50%.
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 previously that 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 architecture firm in Miami; an auto parts manufacturer in Michigan; a homebuilder in Illinois; and individuals in Texas, California, New Jersey and Georgia.