Twin brothers Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter, both 34, have been charged by U.S. prosecutors with computer fraud, destruction of records, aggravated identity theft, and theft of government information following their recent termination as federal contractors. The pair had previously served a prison sentence, concluding in 2015, after admitting to accessing U.S. State Department systems without permission and stealing private data from dozens of colleagues and a federal investigator. Muneeb Akhter was also responsible for hacking a private data company in November 2013 and a cosmetics company’s website in March 2014, showcasing a history of unauthorized computer access.
The Justice Department stated that after being fired, the brothers allegedly tried to harm their former employer and its U.S. government clients by accessing computers without authorization. Their plan involved issuing commands to lock out other users, deleting critical databases, stealing information, and eliminating evidence of their illegal activities. According to court documents, Muneeb Akhter deleted approximately 96 government databases in February 2025. These deleted records contained sensitive information from multiple federal agencies, including Freedom of Information Act records and investigative documents.
In a highly suspicious move, Muneeb Akhter allegedly consulted an artificial intelligence tool for instructions on how to clear system logs just one minute after deleting a Department of Homeland Security database. The defendants also allegedly ran commands specifically designed to prevent others from being able to modify the databases they were targeting for deletion. They are further accused of destroying evidence of their actions, which included wiping their company laptops clean before returning them to the contractor and discussing cleaning their home in anticipation of a potential law enforcement search.
The criminal complaint also details that Muneeb Akhter stole IRS information, including federal tax data and identifying details for at least 450 individuals, from a virtual machine. He is also accused of stealing Equal Employment Opportunity Commission data after his termination. Muneeb Akhter now faces charges including conspiracy to commit computer fraud and destroy records, two counts of computer fraud, theft of U.S. government records, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, he faces a minimum of two years for each aggravated identity theft charge and a maximum of 45 years on the other counts.
His brother, Sohaib, has been charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and password trafficking, and faces a maximum penalty of six years if found guilty. Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the DOJ’s Criminal Division emphasized the severity of their alleged crimes, stating that the defendants abused their positions as federal contractors to attack government databases and steal sensitive information. He concluded that their actions ultimately compromised the security of government systems and impaired agencies’ ability to serve the American public.
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