14 DAY TRIAL // Three men have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit access device fraud and identity theft, and aggravated identity theft. They’re believed to be part of an international cybercrime operation that targeted financial institutions and other major organizations in the Unites States.
The suspects are 33-year-old Oleksiy Sharapka, 39-year-old Leonid Yanovitsky, both from Kiev, Ukraine, and Richard Gundersen, 47, a resident of Brooklyn, New York.
They’re accused of hacking into customer accounts at banks, brokerage firms, government agencies and payroll processing companies. They’ve attempted to steal at least $15 million (€10.7 million) from the US customers of various organizations.
The list of targeted organizations includes Aon Hewitt, Citibank, E-Trade, Electronic Payments, Automatic Data Processing, JP Morgan Chase, Fundtech Holdings, iPayment, Ameritrade, PayPal, Nordstrom Bank, USAA, Veracity Payment Solutions, TIAA-CREF, and even the US Department of Defense’s Defense Finance and Accounting Services.
Once they gained access to bank accounts, the fraudsters transferred money from them to accounts and pre-paid debit cards they controlled. Later, the money was withdrawn from ATMs or the funds were used to make fraudulent purchases in various US states. In addition, they also used stolen identity information to file fraudulent tax returns with the IRS.
The criminal proceeds were sent to the masterminds of the operation, who resided overseas, via wire transfer services.
Sharapka, who is said to have directed the conspiracy, and Yanovitsky, who allegedly helped him, are fugitives. Gunderson is accused of facilitating the movement of criminal proceeds.
The indictment reveals that Sharapka was the leader of a criminal enterprise called the “Sharapka Cash Out Organization,” which operated between around March 2012 and around June 2013.
Each of the suspects faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for the conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges, 5 years for the access device fraud and identity theft conspiracy count, and two years for the aggravated identity theft counts. They can also be ordered to pay massive fines.
In June 2013, eight individuals – including Sharapka, Yanovitsky and Gunderson – were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit identity theft.
Many of the suspects were arrested at the time by law enforcement. Gunderson and another suspect, Lamar Taylor, 37 were being pursued by authorities.
Several US agencies have taken part in the investigation, including the US Secret Service, the ICE, the DOD’s Criminal Investigative Service, and the IRS.