ShadowCrew Cybercrime Marketplace Vendor Sentenced to Prison

ShadowCrew Cybercrime Marketplace Vendor Sentenced to Prison

 A Bulgarian national is sentenced to prison for 30 Months  on Thursday for his participation in the cybercrime and identity theft marketplace called ShadowCrew.

What is ShadowCrew:

Shadowcrew.com was an illegal online marketplace that trafficked in at least 1.5 million stolen credit and bank card numbers and caused more than $4 million in losses to the institutions issuing the cards.

According to Attorney Paul J. Fishman, ShadowCrew was the largest of its kind when dismantled by the Department of Justice and the U.S. Secret Service in 2004.

In the back years ShadowCrew had 4000 active members in the site who were facilitated to malicious computer hacking and the spreading of stolen credit card, debit card and bank account numbers and counterfeit identification documents, such as drivers’ licenses, passports and Social Security cards. 

The Suspected Vendor and his whereabout:

Aleksi Kolarov, 32, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini to Count One of an indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit both identity theft and access device fraud. Judge Martini imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

Kolarov evaded capture until June 14, 2011, when Paraguayan law enforcement authorities arrested him at a hotel in Asunción, Paraguay. He was found in possession of hundreds of thousands of dollars in various currencies, counterfeit payment cards and electronic implements to re-encode cards. 

Prior to his extradition, he had been incarcerated by Paraguayan authorities relating to that conduct. Kolarov was extradited and arrived in the United States on June 28, 2013, escorted by U.S. Marshals.

Official Statement:

United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey Paul J. Fishman said in a statement at the time of Kolarov's extradition. 

Aleksi Kolarov is charged with conspiring in the most notorious online cybercrime marketplace of its time, selling the means to steal money and identities to other criminals

 He also added,

This extradition shows that hiding behind computers and borders does not deter us. It is vital that law enforcement work internationally to bring cybercriminals to justice, no matter how long it takes.

  

Tracked Down by the Admin:

Kolarov, along with the other 18 individuals charged in the indictment, participated in the international conspiracy to operate the Shadowcrew site. Kolarov played the roll of a vendor of illicit merchandise and services to the other members of the site. Of the 19 international participants charged in the indictment, three remain at large.

Among these three one was Albert Gonzalez, one of forums administrators. He worked with law enforcement authorities to track down the other members but in the meantime also hacked and stole several credit and debit card data. In 2010, he was sentenced to prison for 20 years for hacking and stealing information from the systems of Barnes & Noble, Dave & Busters, TJX, and Office Max.