Canadian Police Seize Bitcoin Worth $28 Million From Former Government Employee in Ransomware Case

Canada’s constabulary person seized bitcoin worthy much than $28 cardinal from a erstwhile authorities worker who has been extradited to the U.S. to “face charges for dozens of ransomware attacks resulting successful the outgo of tens of millions of dollars successful ransoms.”

Canadian Authority Seizes Bitcoin Worth $28 Million

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday that a erstwhile Canadian authorities worker was extradited the erstwhile time from Canada to the U.S. to “face charges for dozens of ransomware attacks resulting successful the outgo of tens of millions of dollars successful ransoms.”

The DOJ elaborate that from April done December 2020, Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins “conspired to and did intentionally harm a protected machine and transmit a ransom request successful transportation with doing so.” The Justice Department launched a coordinated planetary instrumentality enforcement enactment to disrupt ransomware radical Netwalker successful January past year.

The indictment charges the 34-year-old Canadian from Gatineau, Quebec, “with conspiracy to perpetrate machine fraud and ligament fraud, intentional harm to a protected computer, and transmitting a request successful narration to damaging a protected machine arising from his alleged information successful a blase signifier of ransomware known arsenic Netwalker.”

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division commented:

We volition usage each legally disposable avenues to prosecute seizure and forfeiture of the alleged proceeds of ransomware, whether located domestically oregon abroad.

“The section volition not cease to prosecute and prehend cryptocurrency ransoms, thereby thwarting the attempts of ransomware actors to evade instrumentality enforcement done the usage of virtual currency,” helium continued.

Canadian instrumentality enforcement officers arrested Vachon-Desjardins successful Quebec connected Jan. 27 past twelvemonth astatine the petition of U.S. authorities, the DOJ said Thursday, adding that they proceeded to execute a hunt warrant astatine his home.

According to the Justice Department:

During the search, officers discovered and seized 719 bitcoin, valued astatine astir $28,151,582 arsenic of today’s date, and $790,000 successful Canadian currency.

What bash you deliberation astir this case? Let america cognize successful the comments conception below.

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