United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy | U.S. Department of Justice
A New York City man has been sentenced to prison for his involvement in hacking, credit card trafficking, and money laundering conspiracies. Vitalii Antonenko, aged 32, was sentenced by United States District Judge William G. Young to a total of 69 months and 18 days in prison. Following his prison term, he will be under supervised release for three years. The court also ordered Antonenko to pay approximately $1.8 million in restitution to a victim.
In September 2024, Antonenko pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to unauthorized access to computer networks and trafficking in access devices, as well as money laundering conspiracy. He was initially arrested in March 2019 at John F. Kennedy International Airport upon arriving from Ukraine with digital media containing hundreds of thousands of stolen payment card numbers. A federal grand jury indicted him in May 2020.
Antonenko and his co-conspirators exploited security vulnerabilities on the internet to access computer networks containing credit and debit card information and personally identifiable information (PII). They employed an SQL injection attack technique for unauthorized network access and extracted data which they then sold on online criminal marketplaces. The proceeds were laundered using Bitcoin along with traditional banking methods to conceal their origin and ownership.
The victims of this conspiracy included a hospitality business and a non-profit scientific research institution located in eastern Massachusetts.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Andrew Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Boston Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth B. Kosto prosecuted the case.
