A former negotiator for a Russian ransomware organization that authorities say extorted from more than 53 companies and other entities, including several in the southern half of Ohio, has been sentenced to 8½ years in prison.
The attacks netted records including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, home addresses and health information. In one case, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, a government agency’s 911 system was hacked.
Deniss Zolotarjovs, 35, was sentenced May 4 in federal court in Cincinnati. The Latvian national was arrested overseas in 2023 and transferred to the U.S. in August 2024.
Zolotarjovs pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to commit both money laundering and wire fraud.
Between June 2021 and March 2023, officials said, Zolotarjovs’ group victimized at least 53 entities and caused more than $56 million in losses.
Ransomware typically involves an intrusion into a computer network, where hackers steal or encrypt data. That is followed by a demand for ransom paid in cryptocurrency.
U.S. Attorney Dominick Gerace II said in a statement that ransomware groups extract money through psychological manipulation and fear. He said the prosecution of Zolortarjov shows that “federal law enforcement has a global reach, and we will hold accountable bad actors like (him).”
The Russian-based group is known by names, including Karakurt, TommyLeaks and SchoolBoys Ransomware.
According to court documents, online chats showed that Zolotarjovs was personally involved in directly negotiating with victims and in strategizing on the extortion threats with his co-conspirators.
For example, Zolotarjovs helped escalate the pressure on a pediatric healthcare company that was refusing to pay a ransom. He recommend publishing pediatric patient data on the dark web to punish the company for not complying with demands.
Zolotarjovs received 10% of the ransom payments he negotiated. He was paid in cryptocurrency, which was then moved through multiple wallets before the funds were ultimately exchanged for Russian rubles.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Man from Russian group sentenced in $56 million ransomware scheme
Reporting by Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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