U.S.: Bulgarian national faces federal charges in largest ID theft ring ever

YOU READ IT HERE FIRST: A Bulgarian national extradited from Paraguay has a federal court appearance scheduled this afternoon in Newark on charges of participating in what the government says is the largest online marketplace for hacking and identity theft ever.

Photo Credit: *Cliffview Pilot File Photo*

Jerry DeMarco

07/01/2013 3:57 p.m.

Aleksi Kolarov, 30, evaded capture until June 14, 2011, when Paraguayan law enforcement authorities arrested him at a hotel in Asunción, Paraguay.

Authorities said he was carrying hundreds of thousands of dollars in various currencies, counterfeit payment cards and electronic implements to re-encode cards.

The U.S. government has charged Kolarov with conspiracy, transferring false identification documents and offering access devices without authorization as part of Shadowcrew forum, which was dismantled by the Department of Justice and the Secret Service in 2004.

Kolarov arrived in the United States on Friday, escorted by U.S. Marshals and has remained in federal custody.

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