A dual citizen of Ukraine and Russia pleaded guilty in a US court for his role in a sophisticated money laundering organization used by cybercriminals.
The individual, Oleg Korniev, 42, was a leader of Your Mule Cashout (YMCO), an international network of money mules and internet infrastructure that allowed hackers to transfer funds outside the US.
According to court documents, YMCO allowed cybercriminals to conceal the theft of money from the bank accounts of US companies and transfer it abroad, primarily to Eastern European countries.
In exchange for the money laundering services, the cybercriminals paid YMCO a percentage of the stolen funds.
YMCO is estimated to have recruited more than 15,000 US residents as money mules, and to have laundered at least $10 million stolen from over 750 US bank accounts.
The organization deceived the money mules into believing they were making genuine transfers for legitimate companies.
It falsely claimed that the individuals would receive transfers from businesses to their personal accounts and that their job was to withdraw the money and wire it to overseas accounts.
Instead, the money mules withdrew stolen proceeds and wired them to YMCO conspirators out of the country, and never received payment for these services.
The court documents allege that Korniev helped create policies and procedures within YMCO, that he hired and managed employees, and rewarded or punished them based on performance. He also secured illegal services that supported YMCO’s operations.
Korniev admitted in court to causing over $14.7 million in actual and intended losses, and to laundering at least $7 million from cybercriminals. He agreed to provide full restitution to known victims, and to forfeit cash seized upon his arrest in the Republic of Georgia.
He pleaded guilty to money laundering, computer fraud, access device theft, and aggravated identity theft charges, and faces between 2 and 50 years in prison.
Four other members of YMCO were previously arrested abroad and extradited to the US. They pleaded guilty, received sentences of 37 to 63 months in prison, and were ordered to pay over $9.1 million in restitution each.
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