Tag Archive for: sentenced

Israeli official’s housekeeper sentenced over spying for Iran-linked hackers

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Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s housekeeper was sentenced to three years in prison for spying for an Iran-linked hacker group, as well as offering to download harmful malware onto his computer, Israeli prosecutors say.

Omri Goren Gorochovsky, 38, and his partner worked as cleaners at the home despite previous criminal convictions. Gorochovsky reached out to the Iran-linked hacker group, known as Black Shadow, through Telegram after hearing about a previous cyberattack on several Israeli websites, an indictment seen by Business Insider claims. The housekeeper sent the group distinguishing pictures of Gantz’s residence as proof he worked there before offering to further spy for them and upload spyware to the defense minister’s computer through a USB drive in exchange for $7,000, according to the filing.

ISRAEL SAYS ‘HIGH PROBABILITY’ ITS FORCES KILLED AL JEEZERA JOURNALIST UNINTENTIONALLY

Gorochovsky, who accepted a plea deal to avoid espionage charges that carry a sentence of 10-15 years, maintained his innocence.

“[Gorochovsky] is not a spy, and this isn’t a spying scandal,” attorneys Gal Wolf and Anat Yaari, Gorochovsky’s defenders, said, according to the Times of Israel. “This is about a man who found himself entangled in debt and identified a security breach.”

In his initial interrogation, Gorochovsky said he intended to trick the Iranian hackers.

“If they would have waited a few days before arresting me, they’d see that I’m not a spy. I wanted to trick the Iranians and take their money without sending them any photo or documents,” he said in his interrogation, according to Channel 12.

Later, however, he admitted to the accusations against him but denied knowing of the hackers’ ties to Iran.

“Who says it was the Iranians? It was hackers on Telegram,” he said in a court appearance.

Gorochovsky’s arrest last November sent shock waves through Shin Bet, Israel’s security agency, with questions arising as to how the housekeeper, who started working for Gantz before he entered politics, made it through the vetting…

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House cleaner sentenced to 3 years for snooping on Gantz for Iranian hackers

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A former cleaner at Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s private residence who was charged with spying for Iranian hackers late last year will serve three years in prison as part of a plea deal reached with the prosecution, the Rishon Lezion District Court ruled Tuesday.

Lod resident Omri Goren, 38, was found guilty of attempting to pass on information to an enemy entity. Under the plea deal, the espionage charges that were originally included in the indictment were dropped.

“[Goren] is not a spy and this isn’t a spying scandal,” said attorneys Gal Wolf and Anat Yaari, Goren’s representatives from the public defender’s office, after his sentencing.

“This is about a man who found himself entangled in debt and identified a security breach,” they added.

Goren largely admitted to the allegations against him throughout the investigation but repeatedly denied that he knowingly offered to help Iran.

“Who says it was the Iranians? It was hackers on Telegram,” Goren told reporters while appearing in court via video link in December.

However, his interrogation suggested that he was well aware of the hackers’ Iranian affiliation, saying he had planned to trick them by collecting their money without providing them with anything.

“If they would have waited a few days before arresting me they’d see that I’m not a spy. I wanted to trick the Iranians and take their money without sending them any photo or documents,” Goren said during his interrogation, according to Channel 12.

Illustrative: Defense Minister Benny Gantz and his wife Revital pose for photos at their home in Rosh Haayin, Israel, September 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Goren was arrested in November last year. According to the indictment, he had contacted hackers from the Iranian-affiliated group Black Shadow on Telegram and offered to provide them with information about Gantz in exchange for money.

He also reportedly offered to plant a bug on Gantz’s computer in exchange for…

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Ukrainian sentenced to 4 years for selling hacked passwords

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A Ukrainian man was sentenced Thursday to four years in federal prison and ordered to pay back illegally obtained profits made by selling decrypted usernames and passwords online. 

Glib Oleksandr Ivanov-Tolpintsev, a 28-year-old from Chernivtsi in southwest Ukraine, pleaded guilty in February to using a botnet to rapidly decrypt user credentials, according to the Justice Department, and then sell them on the dark web. His case attracted media attention last year when details emerged that sloppy mistakes, including receipts from local vape shops, passport scans, and pictures on Google Photos, allowed authorities to link him to the sold credentials.

An image of Ivanov-Tolpintsev included in an affidavit.

Prior to his indictment, Ivanov-Tolpintsev claimed his botnet was able to decrypt the logins of nearly 2,000 computers every week. The Tampa Division of the FBI and the IRS found thousands of credentials listed for sale by Ivanov-Tolpintsev between 2017 and 2019, including more than 100 in the Middle District of Florida, where he was sentenced. 

The “Marketplace” website he used listed over 700,000 compromised servers for sale, 150,000 of them being from the U.S., which were advertised to criminals looking to conduct ransomware attacks and tax fraud. The victims of the scheme are global and range from government officials, healthcare systems, emergency operators, public transit employees, universities, and law firms, according to the DoJ’s press release. 

Ivanov-Tolpintsev was initially taken into custody in Korczowa, Poland in October 2020, and later extradited to the U.S. He faced a maximum penalty of 17 years in prison.

Emma Vail is an editorial intern for The Record. She is currently studying anthropology and women, gender, and sexuality at Northeastern University. After creating her own blog in 2018, she decided to pursue journalism and further her experience by joining the team.

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Edinburg man sentenced for “catching a case” of sex tourism with minor | USAO-SDTX

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McALLEN, Texas – A 23-year-old Edinburg man has been ordered to federal prison for engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor in Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Carlos Daniel Uribe-Garza pleaded guilty June 7, 2021, admitting to the crime and that it had resulted in a pregnancy.

Today, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane ordered him to serve a 121-month sentence. At the hearing, the court heard about Uribe-Garza’s repeated phone calls with the victim. During those conversations, he attempted to influence her not to cooperate with law enforcement and instructed her to send letters to the judge retracting her previous statements. Evidence was also presented that indicated Uribe-Garza was emotionally manipulative towards the victim and had associates confront her and her family at their residence. Judge Crane considered comments from the victim’s mother indicating how Uribe-Garza’s conduct was obsessive, manipulative and toxic. After considering all the evidence, the court determined Uribe-Garza engaged in the obstruction of justice.

Judge Crane also heard that Uribe-Garza had previously engaged in another illicit sexual relationship with a 16-year-old minor in 2019, which also resulted in a pregnancy. Uribe-Garza told that girl not to tell anyone of their relationship because he could “catch a case.” The court deemed him a repeat and dangerous sex offender against minors and imposed a sentencing enhancement.

In imposing the prison term, the court noted Uribe-Garza is predatory toward minors. Following his imprisonment, Uribe-Garza will serve five years on supervised release, during which time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

Uribe-Garza spoke at sentencing and told the court his only regret was attempting to bring the victim into the United States.

Uribe-Garza met the minor victim at her 15th birthday party in Reynosa, Mexico, and then began contacting her via social media. From December 2020 to February 2021, Uribe-Garza pursued a sexual relationship with the victim, traveling from Texas to Mexico on multiple occasions.

She…

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