Russian Hacker Faces Extradition and Up to 80 Years in U.S. Prison

At the end of October 2019, Israel’s Minister of Justice Amir Ohana signed an order to extradite 29-year-old Russian citizen Alexei Burkov to the United States. Burkov had been detained at Ben Gurion Airport back in 2015 at the request of U.S. authorities. Over the years, Russian officials attempted to exchange Burkov for Israeli citizen Naama Issachar, who had been sentenced in Russia to seven and a half years in prison on drug smuggling charges. When the exchange failed and Burkov was ultimately handed over to the U.S., the Russian embassy in Washington sent a note of protest to the State Department.

Now, Burkov is standing trial in Virginia, where he faces multiple charges. The U.S. Department of Justice has released an official press statement detailing the case.

Details of the Case

According to U.S. law enforcement, Burkov ran a carding website called Cardplanet for several years. The site sold stolen credit card data for prices ranging from $2.50 to $60 per card, depending on the card type, country of origin, whether the cardholder’s name and address were included, and other identifying information. Investigators claim that Cardplanet even offered a money-back guarantee if the stolen card data no longer worked.

In total, more than 150,000 payment cards were listed for sale on Cardplanet, tens of thousands of which belonged to American users. The sale of these cards led to fraudulent purchases, causing losses of over $20 million among U.S. victims alone.

The Department of Justice also reports that Burkov operated another, more exclusive website, accessible only by invitation. On this closed site, criminals could advertise stolen personal data, malware, and various illegal services. To join this “closed club,” a new member needed recommendations from three existing members and had to pay a $5,000 entry fee, which served as a form of insurance.

Charges and Potential Sentence

Burkov faces multiple charges, including wire fraud, access device fraud, conspiracy, identity theft, and money laundering. If convicted on all counts, he could face up to 80 years in prison. Additionally, U.S. authorities are seeking the forfeiture of $21 million in cash and any other proceeds allegedly obtained from these crimes.