The United States has announced rewards of up to US$1 million each for two Ukrainian hackers.
"Today, the U.S. Department of State announces rewards of up to US$1 million each for information leading to the arrests and/or convictions of Ukrainian nationals Artem Viacheslavovich Radchenko and Oleksandr Vitalyevich Ieremenko for participating in transnational organized crime, specifically cybercrime," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on July 22, which was posted on the website of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine.
Read alsoRFE/RL: Wanted Wirecard executive traced to Belarus
"As their criminal reach is worldwide, we welcome the cooperation and coordination of all governments to bring these criminals to justice and protect innocent citizens throughout the world," the statement said.
In January 2020, a U.S. Secret Service led investigation resulted in a 16-count indictment against Radchenko and Ieremenko, charging them with securities fraud conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, computer fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, and computer fraud. The indictment alleges Radchenko and Ieremenko hacked the Security and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (EDGAR) system and stole thousands of confidential files, which were then illegally sold for profit. The SEC has also filed a civil complaint charging Ieremenko and other individuals and entities.
This reward offer is made under the State Department's Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP), which together with the Narcotics Rewards Program, has brought more than 75 transnational criminals to justice since these programs began in 1986. The Department of State has paid more than US$130 million in rewards for information leading to those apprehensions.
