Russian convicted for heading online global theft ring

Son of lawmaker stole and sold millions of credit card numbers.

SEATTLE — A federal jury convicted the son of a Russian lawmaker Thursday of hacking into U.S. businesses to steal credit card information and orchestrating an international online theft scheme that netted him millions of dollars.

Jurors deliberated over two days before finding Roman Seleznev guilty of 38 charges, including nine counts of hacking and 10 counts of wire fraud. He could face up to 40 years in prison when he’s sentenced Dec. 2, and he still faces similar charges in federal courts in Nevada and Georgia, his attorney said.

Selez nev hacked into businesses, mostly pizza restaurants in Washington state, and stole millions of credit card numbers that he sold on underground internet forums, authorities said. The thefts led to almost $170 million in credit card losses around the world and made him “one of the most prolific credit card traffickers in history,” prosecutors said.

His lawyer, John Henry Browne, vowed to appeal, saying a key issue will be Seleznev’s 2014 arrest by U.S. Secret Service agents in the Maldives that he called a kidnapping. The defense had tried to challenge the arrest, but the judge said the issue could not come up during trial.

Seleznev had faced a 40-count indictment that charged him with running the hacking scheme from 2009 until his arrest in July 2014. The jury cleared him on two charges related to one of the Washington restaurants.

U.S. Secret Service agents captured Seleznev as he and his girlfriend arrived at the Maldives airport on their way back to Russia. The agents flew him by private jet to Guam and then to Seattle, where he has been in custody.

Selez nev masterminded a scheme dating to 2008, Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman Barbosa said during closing arguments Wednesday. The defense focused on challenging the evidence from Seleznev’s laptop, seized by Secret Service agents during his arrest. His lawyers claim the agents mishandled the computer and failed to adequately secure it while it was kept in a vault in Seattle.

The defense’s only witness testified that the machine may have been tampered with, and the attorneys said any evidence taken from it was suspect. They also said prosecutors failed to make a solid link between the hacks and Seleznev.