Hacker Forum Member Sentenced
Bulgarian Gets 30 Months for Role in ID TheftsA Bulgarian who participated in the Shadowcrew forum, a now-defunct online marketplace for hacking and identity theft, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in the operation.
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Aleksi Kolarov pleaded guilty on Feb. 20 to conspiracy to commit both identity theft and access device fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey.
Shadowcrew.com was an illegal online marketplace that trafficked in at least 1.5 million stolen credit and bank card numbers and caused more than $4 million in losses to the institutions issuing the cards, authorities say (see: Case Analysis: Shadowcrew Carding Gang).
The forum was dismantled by the Department of Justice and the U.S. Secret Service in 2004, according to authorities.
Kolarov, along with another 18 individuals, participated in the operation of the site. He served as a vendor, using the site to sell stolen credentials and services to other members, prosecutors say.
At one time, authorities say, the website had approximately 4,000 members dedicated to facilitating malicious computer hacking and the dissemination of stolen credit card, debit card and bank account numbers, along with counterfeit identification documents such as driver's licenses, passports and Social Security numbers.
Kolarov evaded capture until June 14, 2011, when law enforcement authorities arrested him at a hotel in Paraguay. At the time of his arrest, he was found in possession of hundreds of thousands of dollars in various currencies, counterfeit payment cards and devices to re-encode cards, according to authorities.
He was extradited and arrived in the U.S. on June 28, 2013.
"It is vital that law enforcement work internationally to bring cybercriminals to justice, no matter how long it takes," U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said at the time Kolarov pleaded guilty.