Bitcoin Hacker Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison - Here's What He Did

cryptonews.com:

A Canadian man got sentenced to 20 years in prison for his part in the notorious NetWalker ransomware attacks, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) announced.

35-year-old Quebec resident Sebastian Vachon-Desjardins was extradited to the United States thanks to the extradition treaty between this country and Canada. Following a request submitted by US authorities, said the announcement, Canadian law enforcement arrested the defendant in January 2021, and executed a search warrant at his home.

The press release stated that,

“During the search, officers discovered and seized $742,840 in Canadian currency and 719 Bitcoin, valued at approximately $21,849,087 at the time of seizure and $14,463,993 as of today.”

Currently, this amount of bitcoin (BTC) is worth $14.53 million.

Vachon-Desjardins was also ordered to forfeit $21.5 million.

The defendant worked with a criminal gang and participated in a sophisticated form of ransomware that targeted “dozens of victims all over the world,” said the DoJ, citing court documents.

US Attorney Roger B. Handberg was quoted as saying that the defendant targeted “hundreds of victims in numerous countries at the height of an international health crisis.”

According to CBC, Vachon-Desjardins is a former IT specialist for Public Services and Procurement Canada. He pleaded guilty to four charges, including computer fraud and transmitting a demand in relation to damaging a protected computer in the US.

He is also described as one of the Russian-speaking criminal group’s “most prolific affiliates.”

Per this source, Netwalker targeted some 400 victims in more than 30 countries, and it collected $40 million in ransom payments.

Chainalysis found that more than $46 million worth of funds in NetWalker ransoms since