Notorious Hacker Kingpin ‘Tank’ Is Finally Going to Prison

For much than a decade, Vyacheslav Igorevich Penchukov—a Ukrainian who utilized the online hacker sanction “Tank”—managed to evade cops. When FBI and Ukrainian officials raided his Donetsk flat successful 2010, the spot was deserted and Penchukov had vanished. But the transgression spree came to a juddering halt astatine the extremity of 2022, erstwhile helium traveled to Switzerland, was arrested, past was extradited to the United States.

Today, astatine a US national tribunal successful Lincoln, Nebraska, a justice sentenced Penchukov to 2 concurrent nine-year sentences, aft helium pleaded blameworthy to 2 charges of conspiracy to enactment successful racketeering and a conspiracy to perpetrate ligament fraud. United States District Judge John M. Gerrard besides ordered Penchukov to wage much than $73 million, according to tribunal records. The tribunal besides ordered 3 years of supervised merchandise for each number and said they should tally concurrently.

Both charges carried a maximum condemnation of up to 20 years each. According to tribunal documents, however, the US authorities and Penchukov’s lawyers some requested a little terrible condemnation pursuing him signing a plea statement successful February. It is unclear what the presumption of the plea woody include. At the time, documents show, Penchukov could besides look having to repay up to $70 million. “I recognize this, but I don’t person specified amounts of money,” helium said successful tribunal earlier this year.

The US prosecution of Penchukov—who has been connected the FBI's “most wanted” cyber database for much than a decade—is a uncommon stroke against 1 of the astir well-connected leaders of a prolific 2010s cybercrime gang. It besides highlights the ongoing challenges Western instrumentality enforcement officials look erstwhile taking enactment against Eastern European cybercriminals—particularly those based successful Russia oregon Ukraine, which bash not person extradition agreements with the US.

Ahead of the sentencing, the Department of Justice refused to remark connected the case, and the FBI and Penchukov’s lawyers did not respond to WIRED’s requests for comment.

When the Ukrainian pleaded blameworthy in February—a fig of charges were dropped pursuing him signing the plea agreement—he admitted to being 1 of the leaders of the Jabber Zeus hacking group, starting successful 2009, that utilized the Zeus malware to infect computers and bargain people’s slope relationship information. The radical utilized the details to log successful to accounts, retreat money, and past nonstop it to assorted wealth mules—stealing tens of millions from tiny US and European businesses.

“The suspect played a important role, a enactment role, successful this strategy by directing and coordinating the speech of stolen banking credentials and wealth mules,” prosecutors said successful tribunal earlier this year. They would bargain thousands from unfortunate companies, often draining their accounts.

Penchukov, who was besides a well-known DJ successful Ukraine, besides admitted to a cardinal relation organizing the IcedID (also known Bokbot) malware, which collected the victim’s fiscal details and allowed ransomware to beryllium deployed connected systems. He was progressive from November 2018 to astatine slightest February 2021, officials say. Investigators recovered helium kept a spreadsheet detailing the $19.9 cardinal income IcedID made successful 2021.