Fair 28°
Tag:

Extortion

News
Alleged Russian Ransomware Mastermind Extradited From South Korea To Maryland Alleged Russian Ransomware Mastermind Extradited From South Korea To Maryland
Alleged Russian Ransomware Mastermind Extradited From South Korea To Maryland A Russian national accused of running a global ransomware operation that extorted more than $16 million from victims worldwide has been extradited from South Korea to Maryland to face federal charges, authorities announced. Evgenii Ptitsyn, 42, is charged with operating and administering the sale, distribution, and deployment of the notorious Phobos ransomware, which targeted over 1,000 public and private organizations globally, including schools, hospitals, and critical infrastructure.  Ptitsyn made his first appearance in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland earlier this …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Schools
Teen Who Enlisted 12-Year-Old PA Boy To Make School Bomb Threats Charged In Maryland: Police Teen Who Enlisted 12-Year-Old PA Boy To Make School Bomb Threats Charged In Maryland: Police
Teen Who Enlisted 12-Year-Old PA Boy To Make School Bomb Threats Charged In Maryland: Police Two minors who conspired to make bomb threats targeting Montgomery County schools have been identified as those responsible for causing multiple scares in the community earlier this year. A 15-year-old Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School student is facing multiple charges, and his 12-year-old cohort from Pennsylvania - who will not be charged due to his age - have been accused of making multiple bomb threats that caused chaos in May. According to the Montgomery County Department of Police, a threat made on Thursday, May 16 led to a lockdown at the teen's school, as well as the deploy…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
Purported Psychic Masterminded Scheme To Bilk Love-Struck Maryland Man Into $4M Scam: Feds Purported Psychic Masterminded Scheme To Bilk Love-Struck Maryland Man Into $4M Scam: Feds
Purported Psychic Masterminded Scheme To Bilk Love-Struck Maryland Man Into $4M Scam: Feds The purported psychic who masterminded an elaborate fraud, extortion, and money laundering scheme that resulted in a Maryland man embezzling more than $4 million from his DC employer will spend time in prison, federal authorities announced. Gina Rita Russell, 35, formerly of New York and Los Angeles, was sentenced to 125 months in prison following an elaborate scheme involving family members, one of whom threatened the Maryland man's young children. According to prosecutors, Russell met a New York woman and performed a psychic reading on her, convincing her that bad things would happen…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Five Arrested For Alleged Kidnapping, Assault Of Maryland Couple: State Police Five Arrested For Alleged Kidnapping, Assault Of Maryland Couple: State Police
Five Arrested For Alleged Kidnapping, Assault Of Maryland Couple: State Police Five Westminster residents have been arrested - with a sixth reportedly taken into custody - in connection to an alleged kidnapping and assault in Carroll County, state police say. Troopers launched an investigation on Tuesday, May 21 after responding to a home in Westminster to investigate a reported kidnapping after the mother of one of the victims reported to police that her daughter and daughter's boyfriend had been held captive. While investigating the case, state police were able to locate the man in a disabled vehicle in the parking lot of a Westminster restaurant, officials say, and…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
Man's Brother Pretended To Be NY Mobster As Part Of $4M Embezzlement Scheme In MD/DC: Feds Man's Brother Pretended To Be NY Mobster As Part Of $4M Embezzlement Scheme In MD/DC: Feds
Man's Brother Pretended To Be NY Mobster As Part Of $4M Embezzlement Scheme In MD/DC: Feds Henry Hill immortalized the line "as far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster."  That mantra didn't work out well for a pair of brothers - one of whom pretended to be a New York mobster - to get a Maryland man to embezzle more than $4 million from his employer in Washington, DC.  New York native Corry Blue Evans, 31, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in an elaborate fraud, extortion, and money laundering scheme that involved several other close-knit co-conspirators who worked to exploit the multi-million dollar scheme. The sentence comes y…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
Maryland Man Sentenced For Posing As Teen Girl On Social Media To Entice Boys Maryland Man Sentenced For Posing As Teen Girl On Social Media To Entice Boys
Maryland Man Sentenced For Posing As Teen Girl On Social Media To Entice Boys A 25-year-old Maryland man who posed as a teenage girl on social media to exploit underage boys for illicit materials which he then sold for a profit has been sentenced to decades in prison. Baltimore resident Matthew K. Walsh, 25, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, followed by 30 years of supervised release for the sexual exploitation of a minor in order to produce child pornography.  Specifically, federal prosecutors say that Walsh created fictitious online profiles purporting to be a teenage girl to contact and induce underage boys between the ages of 12 and 17 to se…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
MS-13 Gang Member Admits To Extorting Maryland Business Owners: DOJ MS-13 Gang Member Admits To Extorting Maryland Business Owners: DOJ
MS-13 Gang Member Admits To Extorting Maryland Business Owners: DOJ An MS-13 member in Maryland is facing up to 20 years in prison after admitting to extorting money from businesses to further the exploits of his gang, according to federal officials. Jilmer Hernandez-Alvarado, also known as “Toro,” 27, most recently of Hyattsville, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to extort business owners US District Attorney Erek Barron announced on Tuesday, Aug. 30.  
“La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13 gang, is an international criminal enterprise that is active throughout the United States, including in Maryland,” officials said.  MS-13 in Maryland is…

SHARE

by Zak Failla