In federal court in Brooklyn, United States District Judge Frederic Block sentenced Sagar Steven Singh to 27 months in prison for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and aggravated identity theft. Nicholas Ceraolo received a 25-month sentence on May 30, 2025, for the same offenses.
Joseph Nocella Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, along with Michael Alfonso, Acting Special Agent in Charge at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York, announced the sentencings.
"The defendants breached a federal law enforcement database, used multiple means to steal sensitive personal information, and exploited that data to extort and threaten innocent people and their families," stated United States Attorney Nocella. "This sentence sends a clear message that my Office is committed to protecting victims from digital predators and that those who exploit vulnerabilities in government systems will face jail time."
Alfonso added, "The defendants impersonated law enforcement, illegally accessed government databases, and even faked life-threatening situations to bypass criminal procedures through which they could obtain sensitive personal information. They threatened innocent victims’ livelihoods and were found to have joked about their deceptive, exploitative, and calculated scheme in messages with each other. As a result of the HSI New York El Dorado Task Force’s commitment to justice in this case, both men will now have months in federal prison to consider the seriousness of these crimes."
Singh and Ceraolo were part of a group called “ViLE,” known for collecting victims' personal information like social security numbers. ViLE threatened to "dox" victims by posting their information on a public website run by one of its members unless they paid to keep it off.
Using a stolen password from a law enforcement officer, Singh and Ceraolo accessed a nonpublic web portal maintained by a U.S. federal law enforcement agency. This portal contained records related to narcotics seizures and intelligence reports. They used this access for extortion purposes.
Singh threatened Victim-1 with harm unless given credentials for Instagram accounts while providing Victim-1's social security number and other details as leverage. Singh boasted about his access: "i can request information on anyone in the US doesn’t matter who, nobody is safe." He instructed Victim-1 to sell accounts and give him the proceeds.
Both defendants acknowledged their actions were criminal after accessing the portal. Ceraolo expressed concern over potential raids: “were all gonna get raided one of these days i swear.” Singh admitted accessing tools he was not supposed to use.
The prosecution is managed by Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander Mindlin, Ellen H. Sise, and Adam Amir from the National Security and Cybercrime Section.
