Overview
- Maksim Silnikau was sentenced on Wednesday to 16 years in prison after a Virginia court convicted him of conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft.
- Prosecutors say Silnikau created Ransom Cartel as a ransomware-as-a-service business that gave affiliates encryption software, stolen credentials, a private management site for negotiations, and a revenue-sharing system.
- Between 2021 and 2023 the group struck at least 18 companies worldwide, producing more than $6.7 million in documented losses and attempting to extort about $5.2 million while causing multi-week disruptions at a medical-technology startup and several law firms.
- Silnikau was arrested in Spain in July 2023, fled while awaiting extradition, was captured trying to cross from Poland to Belarus, and was sent from Poland to the United States in 2024 to face charges.
- A related New Jersey indictment over Angler malvertising remains unresolved, two co-defendants are still sought by U.S. authorities with a State Department reward offered for one, and prosecutors say they will continue pursuing remaining conspirators and laundering networks.