Peter Romar, 37, pleaded guilty Wed inwards a federal courtroom inwards Alexandria to felony charges of conspiring to have extortion proceeds in addition to to illegally access computers inwards his purpose equally a fellow member of the infamous hacking grouping calling itself the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA), the Department of Justice (DoJ) announced.
Romar was previously extradited from Deutschland on asking of the United States.
"Cybercriminals cannot shroud from justice," said U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente for the Eastern District of Virginia. "No affair where they are inwards the world, the USA volition vigorously pursue those who commit crimes against U.S. citizens in addition to concord them accountable for their actions."In March, the US charged 3 men it believed were involved inwards cyber-attacks carried out the Syrian Electronic Army. Romar was already arrested piece the other 2 - Ahmad Umar Agha (aka The Pro), 22 in addition to Firas Dardar (aka The Shadow), 27 - were believed to last inwards Syria.
The FBI has likewise offered a vantage of $100,000 for whatever information that leads to the arrest of Agha in addition to Dardar, who were allegedly involved inwards hacking Associated Press Twitter trouble organisation human relationship inwards Apr 2013 in addition to spreading a fake rumor claiming that the White House had been bombed, injuring President Obama, which caused a temporary stock marketplace position dip.
All 3 SEA hackers were allegedly engaged inwards a long-running cyber-propaganda attain inwards back upward of the Syrian President Bashar al‑Assad.
The grouping used "spear-phishing" tactics to target figurer systems of the US government, unusual organizations, media outlets in addition to other private-sector entities that the SEA deemed equally having been antagonistic toward the Syrian Government.
Between 2011 in addition to 2013, SEA targeted multiple entities including the Associated Press, Microsoft, Reuters, CNN, Time, The Daily Dot, The Washington Post, Vice, Human Rights Watch, E! Online, Harvard University, NASA, US Marine, in addition to The Onion, amidst others.
Dardar in addition to Romar are accused of hacking into the figurer systems of businesses for their personal profit. They hacked into victims' computers in addition to and then threaten them to impairment computers, in addition to delete/sell the information unless they were paid a ransom.
"If a victim could non brand extortion payments to the conspiracy's Syrian banking concern accounts due to sanctions targeting Syria, Romar acted equally an intermediary inwards Deutschland to evade those sanctions," the DoJ said.Romar faces upward to five years inwards prison theatre in addition to is scheduled to last sentenced on 21st October, piece co-defendant Dardar all the same remains at large in addition to is believed to last inwards Syria.
