The US Department of Justice has arrested Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins, a former Canadian government employee, who allegedly carried out computer and wire fraud as a NetWalker operator. According to a press release, the US authorities seized 719 bitcoin (EXANTE: Bitcoin), valued at ~$28 million, and $790,000 in Canadian currency.
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Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division noted that the department will not cease to pursue and seize cryptocurrency ransoms, thereby "thwarting the attempts of ransomware actors to evade law enforcement through the use of virtual currency."
"Ransomware is a multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise that transcends physical and political boundaries. International collaboration is essential to identify the perpetrators of these sophisticated schemes," said US Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida.
The NetWalker ransomware was first discovered in August 2019. Initially named Mailto, the ransomware was used during attacks on the Toll Group, an Australian transportation and logistics company, and the Illinois Champaign-Urbana Public-Health District (CUPHD) website.
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