Number Of Victims In Russian Citizen Burkov's Case May Exceed 150,000 People - US Attorney

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2020) The United States does not know how many individuals and entities would qualify as victims in the trial of Russian national Alexei Burkov, but believes the number may exceed 150,000 of payment cards holders and thousands of financial companies, the prosecution said in a motion to the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

"A victim could potentially include any payment cardholder or card issuer who suffered a financial loss as a result of the defendant's alleged criminal conduct. That could include well over 150,000 different payment cardholders and potentially thousands of card issuers, ranging from large financial institutions to small credit unions," US Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger wrote on Friday.

Terwilliger acknowledged, however, that the United States at present did not know "precisely how many individuals or entities would qualify as victims.

Burkov is suspected of running two websites for hackers, including one that was selling stolen payment cards data. The US authorities have charged Burkov with five Federal offenses related to wire fraud, computer intrusions, identity theft and money laundering.

If convicted on all five counts, Burkov faces a maximum sentence of 80 years in prison.

The defendant initially denied any wrongdoing, but now intends to enter a guilty plea to some of the charges, according to his lawyer Gregory Stambaugh,

Given a potential multitude of victims, the prosecution has asked the court for permission to provide them with any notifications through the internet. The court granted the motion on Thursday.

Prior to being extradited to the United States in November, Burkov spent almost four years in Israeli custody fighting unsuccessfully to be extradited to Russia.