Mark Sokolovsky, a 28-year-old Ukrainian national, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion related to his role in operating the Raccoon Infostealer malware. This malware-as-a-service (MaaS) enabled cybercriminals to steal sensitive personal information from victims, such as login credentials, financial details, and other private records. These criminals used phishing schemes to deploy the malware onto unsuspecting victims’ computers, where it collected data, which was then either used for fraud or sold on cybercrime forums.
The Raccoon Infostealer network was dismantled in March 2022, following Sokolovsky’s arrest by Dutch authorities, in a coordinated effort with the FBI and law enforcement agencies in Italy and the Netherlands. The FBI played a significant role in bringing down the malware’s infrastructure, taking the then-active version of Raccoon Infostealer offline. Sokolovsky was extradited from the Netherlands to face charges in the U.S., where he was indicted for fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft in February 2024.
Sokolovsky’s actions led to the compromise of over 52 million user credentials, which were exploited for further criminal activity, including fraud, identity theft, and ransomware attacks worldwide. These activities caused significant financial and personal harm to millions of victims globally. As part of his plea agreement, Sokolovsky has agreed to forfeit $23,975 in illicit gains and pay restitution of at least $910,844.61 to the victims affected by his criminal actions.
The case highlights the global nature of cybercrime and the importance of international cooperation in combating such threats. U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza praised the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies across the globe and reiterated the commitment to holding cybercriminals accountable. The FBI continues to prioritize cases like this, encouraging victims of financial scams to report incidents to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) for further investigation and action.
