Data theft and election interference: Russian citizen accused of fraud in the USA - ForumDaily
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Data theft and election interference: Russians accused of fraud in the United States

On September 10, a criminal case was opened in the United States charging a Russian citizen with alleged participation in a conspiracy to use the stolen personal data of real US citizens to open fraudulent accounts in banking and cryptocurrency exchanges. This is reported on the official website US Department of Justice.

Photo: Shutterstock

According to the criminal complaint, Artem Mikhailovich Lifshits, 27, of St. Petersburg, Russia, is a manager at Project Lakhta, a Russian project to interfere in political and electoral processes. Since at least May 2014, the project's stated goal in the United States has been to undermine the democratic process and create distrust in candidates for political office and the political system as a whole.

According to the Department of Justice website, since 2014, Project Lakhta has attempted to conceal its activities through a number of organizations, including the Internet Research Agency (IRA). The Translation Department, where Lifshitz has worked as a manager since around January 2017, is said to be responsible for much of Project Lakhta's influence operations, which are still ongoing.

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Lifshitz allegedly conspired with other members of Project Lakhta to obtain means of identifying real American individuals, which the conspirators then used to open fraudulent bank and cryptocurrency exchange accounts in the names of the victims. Lifshitz and the conspirators allegedly used these fraudulently opened accounts both to further Project Lakhta influence operations and for personal enrichment.

“Today’s charges allege that Russian citizen Artem Lifshitz conspired with others to steal Americans’ personal information and use it to open fraudulent bank and cryptocurrency accounts,” said Assistant Attorney General for Homeland Security John Demers. “Lifshits participated in this fraud in order to contribute to the malicious influence of the Lakhta Project and for his own personal enrichment. This case is a clear illustration of how bad actors finance their covert influence activities abroad, and Russia's status as a haven for cybercriminals who enrich themselves at the expense of others."

“The Project Lakhta conspirators used the stolen identities of U.S. citizens to further their goals of undermining faith in our democratic institutions and for personal gain,” said Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. — Artem Mikhailovich Lifshitz is another Russian citizen charged in the Eastern District of Virginia with participating in a conspiracy that targeted real US people and institutions. This case demonstrates that federal law enforcement will work aggressively to investigate and prosecute cybercriminals located in Russia and other countries that serve as havens for this type of criminal activity.”

“According to the criminal complaint, the subject engaged in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud to further enhance Russian influence abroad and enrich himself and others,” said Alan Kohler, the FBI's associate assistant director in charge of the Counterintelligence Division. “The FBI will act aggressively to uncover and disrupt any efforts to undermine our democratic institutions.”

“International cooperation continues to be an important element in addressing the global challenge of transnational cybercrime,” said Matthew Miller, Special Agent in Charge, Washington Field Office. “We greatly appreciate our law enforcement partners for their assistance in this matter.” The Secret Service will continue to work closely with our domestic and international partners to bring transnational cybercriminals to justice.”

The criminal complaint does not allege that any U.S. citizens knowingly participated in Project Lakhta's influence operations.

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In addition to these criminal charges, on September 10, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions against Lifshitz and two other Project Lakhta participants based on the malicious cyber activity described in the statement.

The Department of Justice recalls that the criminal complaint contains suggestions that the defendant has committed a crime, but each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

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