Tag:

Cybercrime

Monkey Torturer Admits To Sharing 'Sadistic' Videos In Virginia: Feds Monkey Torturer Admits To Sharing 'Sadistic' Videos In Virginia: Feds
Monkey Torturer Admits To Sharing 'Sadistic' Videos In Virginia: Feds The Virginia man who produced and distributed "sadistic" animal torture videos copped to the crime after sharing hundreds of files with like-minded folk online, federal authorities announced. Michael Macartney, 51, pleaded guilty this week to conspiracy to create and distribute animal crushing videos, most of which involved monkeys over the course of nearly a year. According to court documents, between November 2021 and August 2022, Macartney and his co-conspirators were involved in a private online group chat that was encrypted to share the disturbing imagery.  "(They) …
Warren County Man Uploaded Child Porn: Prosecutor Warren County Man Uploaded Child Porn: Prosecutor
Warren County Man Uploaded Child Porn: Prosecutor A 33-year-old Warren County man was arrested and charged on Wednesday, April 24, with uploading images of child sexual abuse online following a months long investigation, authorities said. Authorities began investigating Joseph Fortungo, a Stewartsville resident, after being informed images of young children posing in a sexual manner were uploaded online, Anthony Picione, Warren County Acting Prosecutor said. Detectives were able to link the source of the uploads to Fortungo's residence, Picione said. Fortungo was also sending the images to others online, Picione said.  Fortungo was t…
Feds: Fugitive Who Sold Mail-Order Fentanyl To NJ Customers On Dark Web Indicted On 14 Counts Feds: Fugitive Who Sold Mail-Order Fentanyl To NJ Customers On Dark Web Indicted On 14 Counts
Feds: Fugitive Who Sold Mail-Order Fentanyl To NJ Customers On Dark Web Indicted On 14 Counts A fugitive who sold mail-order fentanyl on the dark web while being pursued by authorities in Canada for nearly two years was indicted on federal charges in New Jersey on Tuesday following a Homeland Security investigation. Michael C. Wozney, a 38-year-old Canadian national from Ontario, was a fugitive when he slung the potentially fatal drug in various dark net marketplaces, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. This included hundreds of transactions in the Empire Market, according to a 14-count indictment that Sellinger said was returned by a grand jury in Newark on Jan. …
SOCIAL MEDIA SCAM: Bogus Post About Unidentified Girl Found By Side Of Road Returns SOCIAL MEDIA SCAM: Bogus Post About Unidentified Girl Found By Side Of Road Returns
Social Media Scam: Bogus Post About Unidentified Girl Found By Side Of Road Returns A cruel social media post about an unidentified girl in a hospital bed who was stabbed, robbed and “left for dead on the side of the road” in your town or one nearby has re-emerged. Whatever you do, don't share it. The post has appeared in several states – and recently in one of New Jersey’s most affluent towns – showing what, in reality, is a severely injured girl in a hospital bed following a car crash in 2016 in Utah. Taylor Carlton, who was 16 at the time, eventually emerged from a coma and has long since recovered. She became a mom in 2018, according to her sister. However, a r…
Maryland Sex Offender Found With Beastiality Images Sentenced For Trying To Target Child: Feds Maryland Sex Offender Found With Beastiality Images Sentenced For Trying To Target Child: Feds
Maryland Sex Offender Found With Beastiality Images Sentenced For Trying To Target Child: Feds A predator from Maryland who already spent years behind bars for preying on minors through his computer is heading back to the Big House after being busted repeating the crime, federal officials announced on Wednesday. Samuel Charles Hardeman, 55, has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for the attempted coercion and enticement of a minor after being busted by an undercover police officer, who purported to have a 10-year-old daughter the convict was interested in. Prosecutors say that in December 2022, Hardeman engaged in illicit conversations with an undercover agent, during …
Teacher From Yorktown Caught With Child Porn, Trying To Hack Teen's Social Media: Feds Teacher From Yorktown Caught With Child Porn, Trying To Hack Teen's Social Media: Feds
Teacher From Yorktown Caught With Child Porn, Trying To Hack Teen's Social Media: Feds A 27-year-old teacher from Northern Westchester faces decades in prison after authorities discovered his possession of child pornography and an attempt to hack into a student's social media account, officials said. Yorktown resident and teacher Giuseppi Micciari, age 27, was arrested on child pornography charges and presented in White Plains federal court on Wednesday, Nov. 1, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced.  According to federal officials, Micciari's arrest followed a review of his cell phone conducted by authorities that revealed th…
NJ Predator Admits Getting Underage Girl To Share Nudes NJ Predator Admits Getting Underage Girl To Share Nudes
NJ Predator Admits Getting Underage Girl To Share Nudes A New Jersey man admitted posing as someone else to get a minor to pose naked online for him. Federal authorities had charged Sunil Vaid, 51, of North Brunswick with posing online as various people, including a man seeking romance, a woman offering career help and a personal trainer to meet underage victims. Rather than risk the outcome of a trial, Vaid took a deal from the government, pleading guilty in U.S. District Court in Newark to inducing one of them to engage in cybersex, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. U.S. District Court Judge Claire C. Cecchi scheduled sentencing for Feb…
Biz Owners Take Pleas After NJ Feds Seize Record $14M Worth Of Cisco Networking Knockoffs Biz Owners Take Pleas After NJ Feds Seize Record $14M Worth Of Cisco Networking Knockoffs
Biz Owners Take Pleas After NJ Feds Seize Record $14M Worth Of Cisco Networking Knockoffs Three North Jersey business owners admitted importing and selling cheap knockoffs of Cisco Systems networking equipment after federal agents seized an unprecedented $14 million worth of the devices from their warehouse in Passaic County. Musa Karaman, 35, of North Arlington, was the last of the trio to take a deal from the government, pleading guilty to trafficking counterfeit goods in U.S. District Court in Newark on Thursday, Aug. 24. Accomplices Sadri Ozturan, 37, of Hawthorne, and Israfil "David" Demir, 38, of Secaucus both pleaded guilty to the same charges on Aug. 8, U.S. Attorney for…
Cyber Sleuths Bust Maywood Contractor With Child Porn: Bergen Prosecutor Cyber Sleuths Bust Maywood Contractor With Child Porn: Bergen Prosecutor
Cyber Sleuths Bust Maywood Contractor With Child Porn: Bergen Prosecutor A divorced contractor from Maywood was caught collecting child porn, authorities said. Keith J. Balasa, 55, was arrested during a raid of his Lafayette Avenue home on Friday, July 7, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Members of the prosecutor’s Cyber Crimes Unit found that Balasa “used the Internet to view, download and possess items depicting nude and/or sexually explicit prepubescent and pubescent children,” Musella said. He didn’t say what kind of images (videos or still photos) or how many were found. Records at the Bergen County Jail -- where Balasa remained Friday night pe…
York County Man Rapes Pit Bull Multiple Times In Videos Posted On Twitter: Affidavit York County Man Rapes Pit Bull Multiple Times In Videos Posted On Twitter: Affidavit
York County Man Rapes Pit Bull Multiple Times In Videos Posted On Twitter: Affidavit Editor’s Note: This story was originally published with an image that was not that of Gavin Thomas Kitchen, but of another person. The image has since been removed. Apologies. A Central Pennsylvania man admitted to performing "sex acts" with a pit bull— and uploading videos of the acts along with child porn onto Twitter, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice.  Pennsylvania State Police began investigating 21-year-old Gavin Thomas Kitchen after receiving a cyber tip submitted by Twitter back in January 2023, according to a release on Thursday, June 22, 2023.  When t…
Multitude Of Government Agencies Victimized Out Of $4M By NJ Man: Feds Multitude Of Government Agencies Victimized Out Of $4M By NJ Man: Feds
Multitude Of Government Agencies Victimized Out Of $4M By NJ Man: Feds A New Jersey man stole more than $4 million through a clutch of schemes that included defrauding three different government programs, authorities charged. Gbenga Akinbode, 33, of Newark, opened a bank account and then used 120 different debit cards to buy $500,000 worth of money orders that were deposited into the account, according to a complaint filed by Homeland Security Investigations in U.S. District Court in Newark. Investigators discovered that the debit cards were funded with $4 million in fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits, bogus Paycheck Protection Program loans…
Heard But Not Seen: Nigerian National Nabbed In $250,000 Audiobooks Scheme, NJ Feds Say Heard But Not Seen: Nigerian National Nabbed In $250,000 Audiobooks Scheme, NJ Feds Say
Heard But Not Seen: Nigerian National Nabbed In $250,000 Audiobooks Scheme, NJ Feds Say A Nigerian national living in Bangladesh contracted with more than 600 voice actors to produce audiobooks of written works that he didn't hold the rights to, federal authorities in New Jersey charged. Anyanwu Benjamin Chizitere, 30, of Enugu, Nigeria, was part of a group that collected more than $250,000 by infringing on the copyright of a Newark-based company and its authors, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Chizitere worked for a financial services business that provided online money transfer and digital payment services to the company, the U.S. attorney said. He po…
Jersey Shore Cyberthief Swipes $300,000 From Bergen Retiree's Account: It Happens A Lot Jersey Shore Cyberthief Swipes $300,000 From Bergen Retiree's Account: It Happens A Lot
Jersey Shore Cyberthief Swipes $300,000 From Bergen Retiree's Account: It Happens A Lot An unemployed cyberthief from the Jersey Shore swiped more than $300,000 from an elderly Lodi resident’s retirement account after stealing the victim’s identity, authorities charged. Joseph Bilotta, 65, hijacked the online account, along with others in New Jersey and Maryland, “to fund his lifestyle,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Lodi police notified members of the prosecutor’s Financial Crimes Unit of the account takeover scheme in 2021, Musella said. They arrested Bilotta on theft charges following an investigation and sent him to the Bergen County Jail only to have a judg…
'Operation Catfish': Sexual Predators From Rockland Caught After Months-Long Investigation 'Operation Catfish': Sexual Predators From Rockland Caught After Months-Long Investigation
'Operation Catfish': Sexual Predators From Rockland Caught After Months-Long Investigation A months-long cybercrime operation in the Hudson Valley has resulted in the arrest of seven sexual predators who possessed online child sexual abuse materials and attempted to lure children to meet for sex, officials said.  The operation, known as "Operation Catfish," was run by the Rockland County District Attorney's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), and resulted in the seven arrests and one guilty plea since January 2022, according to Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Walsh II.  According to Walsh, the following suspects were charged with using online me…
Wallington Construction Worker Charged With 1,000+ Child Porn Images Wallington Construction Worker Charged With 1,000+ Child Porn Images
Wallington Construction Worker Charged With 1,000+ Child Porn Images A construction worker from Wallington was caught with more than 1,000 images of child sex abuse, authorities charged. James Avallone, a 45-year-old retired U.S. Marine Corps sergeant, was arrested earlier this week following a months-long investigation. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said members of his Cyber Crimes Unit executed a court-approved search warrant at Avallone’s Morrissee Avenue home on Tuesday, Nov. 29. They found that Avallone, who is single, “used the Internet to view, download and possess items depicting nude and/or sexually explicit prepubescent and pubescent child…
Foreigner Charged In $100M Ransomware Assault That Victimized Innocent Computer Users Foreigner Charged In $100M Ransomware Assault That Victimized Innocent Computer Users
Foreigner Charged In $100M Ransomware Assault That Victimized Innocent Computer Users A Russian and Canadian national who participated in a campaign that extorted tens of millions of dollars from Internet users will be brought to New Jersey to face federal charges, authorities announced. Mikhail Vasiliev, 33, of Bradford, Ontario, was among a group that began attacking more than 1,000 computer users in the U.S. and throughout the world as early as January 2020, federal officials said on Thursday, Nov. 10. Vasiliev and his fellow LockBit members demanded at least $100 million in ransom demands after locking up the victims' devices, they said. Vasiliev was arrested on Wednesd…
'BLOOD BATH': Out-Of-State Man Who Threatened NJ Executive Over Stocks Sent To Federal Prison 'BLOOD BATH': Out-Of-State Man Who Threatened NJ Executive Over Stocks Sent To Federal Prison
'Blood Bath': Out-Of-State Man Who Threatened NJ Executive Over Stocks Sent To Federal Prison An out-of-state man who threatened an executive officer at a New Jersey-based company where he used to work must spend the next 14 months in federal prison. Alan Wallace, 59, of Cumming, GA, had worked at a company facility in Georgia for nearly 18 years before he was involuntarily terminated in 2017, a complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Newark says. He began by sending an anonymous violent threat in January 2021 detailing how the family of the executive who worked at the New Jersey headquarters would pay if the publicly-traded company's stock prices didn't increase over the next m…
Suffolk County Will Notify Anyone Whose Data Was Compromised In Cyber Attack, Bellone Says Suffolk County Will Notify Anyone Whose Data Was Compromised In Cyber Attack, Bellone Says
Suffolk County Will Notify Anyone Whose Data Was Compromised In Cyber Attack, Bellone Says Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced that residents whose private information is comprised due to a cyber attack this month will be notified by county officials. Cybercriminals on the "dark web" hacked into the county government system on Thursday, Sept. 8, and since that time have demanded a "ransom," to get the system back online, although county officials have not confirmed a ransom has been demanded. Bellone said on Tuesday, Sept. 20, anyone whose data was compromised will be offered free identity theft protection services. Officials added that it does not have a number of …
Iranian Nationals Coordinated Cyberattacks On Boston Children's Hospital, Others: FBI Iranian Nationals Coordinated Cyberattacks On Boston Children's Hospital, Others: FBI
Iranian Nationals Coordinated Cyberattacks On Boston Children's Hospital, Others: FBI The FBI said three Iranian nationals have hacked and attacked computer systems around the world, including the Boston Children's Hospital.  Mansour Ahmadi, 34, Ahmad Khatibi Aghda, 45, and Amir Hossein Nickaein Ravari, 30, "engaged in a pattern of hacking, cyber-theft, and extortion largely for personal gain," FBI Director Christopher Wray said. The agency indicted the men earlier this week, though they remain in Iran and have escaped capture.  The FBI is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to their capture.  REWARD! 💰Up to $10M 💰for information on Iranian malicious #…
Worldwide Ransomware Rampage: Iranians Hack NJ Town, PA Domestic Violence Shelter, Feds Charge Worldwide Ransomware Rampage: Iranians Hack NJ Town, PA Domestic Violence Shelter, Feds Charge
Worldwide Ransomware Rampage: Iranians Hack NJ Town, PA Domestic Violence Shelter, Feds Charge Federal authorities are offering a $10 million reward to help locate a trio of Iranian nationals who held the computer systems of a New Jersey town, a domestic violence shelter in Pennsylvania and hundreds of other victims across the U.S. and abroad hostage in a series of hack attacks. Using Microsoft’s BitLocker security tool, the hackers locked up and then stole secure files before sending ransom notes – some of which were spit out on the victims’ printers, the FBI said on Wednesday, Sept. 14. The unidentified shelter ended up paying $13,000 in bitcoin to retrieve its files, according to …
NJ Youth Pastor Indicted For Online Sex Exploitation Of 13 Boys In Multiple States: Prosecutor NJ Youth Pastor Indicted For Online Sex Exploitation Of 13 Boys In Multiple States: Prosecutor
NJ Youth Pastor Indicted For Online Sex Exploitation Of 13 Boys In Multiple States: Prosecutor A Burlington County teacher and youth pastor has been indicted for coaxing underage boys on social media to send him nude pictures and videos, then using that material to blackmail his victims into performing sexual acts on themselves for his enjoyment, authorities said.  A grand jury indicted Sean Higgins, 31, of Palmyra on 75 total counts that included charges of aggravated sexual assault, criminal sexual contact, cyber harassment, child endangerment, and obscenity to a minor, they said. Thirteen of the counts were first-degree charges, according to Burlington County Prosecutor …
Mahopac Man Charged With Promoting Sexual Performance By Child ID'd As Son Of Ex-Putnam Sheriff Mahopac Man Charged With Promoting Sexual Performance By Child ID'd As Son Of Ex-Putnam Sheriff
Mahopac Man Charged With Promoting Sexual Performance By Child ID'd As Son Of Ex-Putnam Sheriff The son of a former sheriff in the Hudson Valley has been arrested on multiple counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child, according to published reports. Robert L. Langley III, of Mahopac, the son of the ex-Putnam County Sheriff Robert Langley Jr., was arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 10. In March 2022, investigators assigned to the Sheriff’s Office Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) received information from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that images and videos of child sexual abuse material were being shared online from a residence in the Town of Carmel, said Sh…
Authorities Drop Charges After Cybersleuth Proves Ramsey Responder Was Wrongfully Accused Authorities Drop Charges After Cybersleuth Proves Ramsey Responder Was Wrongfully Accused
Authorities Drop Charges After Cybersleuth Proves Ramsey Responder Was Wrongfully Accused A Ramsey volunteer first responder who was wrongfully accused in a child-porn case was vindicated after a private forensic investigator proved his innocence. Charles Gilbride had no idea what was happening when cybercrime detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office raided his home and arrested him early on the morning of Dec. 2, 2021. That’s because he hadn’t done anything wrong. First responders, like many others, found it impossible to believe the 2015 Ramsey High School graduate – who’d been a lieutenant with the all-volunteer Ramsey Rescue Squad – was capable of such crimes. …
Feds Charge MD Man In $246,390 401(k) Theft From NJ Employee Feds Charge MD Man In $246,390 401(k) Theft From NJ Employee
Feds Charge MD Man In $246,390 401(k) Theft From NJ Employee A Maryland man conspired with others to steal $246,390 from a New Jersey worker’s 401(k), federal authorities charged. Oladapo Sunday Ogunbiyi, 40, of Greenbelt, and others secretly tapped into the fund, added a bank account belonging to someone else and began steering money into it, an indictment returned by a grand jury in U.S. District Court alleges. “Ogunbiyi and others directed that the fraud proceeds be converted into cashier’s checks, which were provided to Ogunbiyi,” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. “He then deposited the cashier’s checks into bank accounts under his control…
Gansevoort Man Accused Of Raping Young Child Gansevoort Man Accused Of Raping Young Child
Gansevoort Man Accused Of Raping Young Child A Capital District man is behind bars, accused of raping a young child. Saratoga County resident Allen Millington, age 26, of Gansevoort, was first arrested Wednesday, May 11, after police were tipped off that he possessed images consistent with child sexual exploitation, New York State Police said. The cyber tip was reported to the state’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Millington was arraigned in Wilton Town Court on charges of promotion of a sexual performace by a child and possesion of a sexual performance by a child, according to police. He was ordered held at the Sarat…
Destructive USB Flash Drives Are Being Mailed By Cybercriminals, FBI Warns Destructive USB Flash Drives Are Being Mailed By Cybercriminals, FBI Warns
Destructive USB Flash Drives Are Being Mailed By Cybercriminals, FBI Warns The FBI is warning that USB thumb drives are being mailed by cybercriminals in an attempt to lure recipients into plugging them into their computers and installing ransomware. Two different schemes are being used, says the FBI: The first contains a package that appears to come from the US Department of Health and Human Services that reportedly contains information on current pandemic guidelines.  The second comes as an Amazon gift box which contains a thank you letter, USB, and counterfeit gift card. Both packages contain USBs that when connected to a computer will send prec…
1.1M Accounts Compromised In Cyberattacks Of 17 Companies, NY AG Investigation Finds 1.1M Accounts Compromised In Cyberattacks Of 17 Companies, NY AG Investigation Finds
1.1M Accounts Compromised In Cyberattacks Of 17 Companies, NY AG Investigation Finds An investigation by the New York Attorney General's Office found that more than 1.1 million accounts were compromised in cyberattacks of 17 companies. Attorney General Letitia James said in an announcement on Wednesday, Jan. 5, that the "Credential Stuffing Attacks" involve repeated, automated attempts to access accounts by using information stolen from other websites. James said often people reuse the same passwords on different sites, which allows cybercriminals to use stolen passwords on other websites.  “Right now, there are more than 15 billion stolen credentials being circu…
Central PA Man Who Raped 5-Year-Old Caught On Video Uploaded To Google Drive: DA Central PA Man Who Raped 5-Year-Old Caught On Video Uploaded To Google Drive: DA
Central PA Man Who Raped 5-Year-Old Caught On Video Uploaded To Google Drive: DA A central Pennsylvania man is heading to prison after videos and photos of him raping a 5-year-old surfaced on a Google Drive, according to the Lancaster County district attorney's office. John F. Henry, 37, of the 400 block of Pearl Street in Lancaster, was sentenced to serve 37 ½ to 76 years in prison after pleading guilty to 15 charges including rape of a child by Lancaster County Judge Donald Totaro on Dec. 29, according to the release. Henry not only raped and sexually assaulted the young child but used his personal email to upload the images and videos to Google Drive and Google Phot…
Don't Fall For Them: FBI Issues Alert For Online Shopping Scams Don't Fall For Them: FBI Issues Alert For Online Shopping Scams
Don't Fall For Them: FBI Issues Alert For Online Shopping Scams The FBI is warning the public of cybercriminals targeting shoppers hoping to take advantage of online bargains and hard-to-find gift items for the holidays. During the 2020 holiday shopping season, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 17,000 complaints regarding the non-delivery of goods, resulting in losses of over $53 million, the agency said.  It is anticipated this number could increase during the 2021 holiday season due to rumors of merchandise shortages and the ongoing pandemic. That's why criminals are busy finding ways to entice their victims in multiple …
Prosecutor Drops Child Porn Charges Against Ramsey Plumber After Cybersleuth Proves Innocence Prosecutor Drops Child Porn Charges Against Ramsey Plumber After Cybersleuth Proves Innocence
Prosecutor Drops Child Porn Charges Against Ramsey Plumber After Cybersleuth Proves Innocence A Ramsey volunteer first responder who was wrongfully accused in a child-porn case was vindicated after a private forensic investigator proved his innocence. Charles Gilbride had no idea what was happening when cybercrime detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office raided his home and arrested him early on the morning of Dec. 2, 2021. That’s because he hadn’t done anything wrong. First responders, like many others, found it impossible to believe the 2015 Ramsey High School graduate – who’d been a lieutenant with the all-volunteer Ramsey Rescue Squad – was capable of such crimes. …
CT Woman Creates Fake Facebook Account To Harass Victim With Protective Order, Police Say CT Woman Creates Fake Facebook Account To Harass Victim With Protective Order, Police Say
CT Woman Creates Fake Facebook Account To Harass Victim With Protective Order, Police Say A Connecticut woman known for harassing her targeted victim repeatedly is being accused of going above and beyond to get to her once more, police said. Hartford County resident Stacia Lanway, age 61, of South Windsor, has been accused of creating a phony Facebook account in an effort to harass her alleged victim, who has been targeted repeatedly in the past, according to officials. Police said that an investigation was launched in December 2020 before Lanway turned herself in on Wednesday, Sept. 29 for allegedly using a fake account in her victim’s name, which she used to make harassing pos…