Israeli private detective sentenced in US to 6-2/3 years for hacker-for-hire scheme

Wirecard AG

16/11/2023 19:23

NEW YORK, Nov 16 (Reuters) - A U.S. court on Thursday
sentenced an Israeli private detective to 6-2/3 years in prison
for organizing global hacking campaigns against thousands of
people including climate change activists and critics of German
company Wirecard.
    Aviram Azari, a former policeman detained in the United
States since 2019, pleaded guilty last year to three counts of
wire fraud, conspiracy to commit hacking and aggravated identity
theft. 
    U.S. District Judge John Koeltl handed down the sentence at
a hearing in federal court in Manhattan. 
    Prosecutors had asked that Azari, 51, get eight to nine
years in prison, saying that his firm earned nearly $5 million
dollars over five years for managing hacking campaigns that
targeted thousands of victims - many of whom were public
interest groups.  
    "Azari pocketed millions of dollars for his oversight of the
hacking groups, and he passed along the fruits of their hacking
to his clients," the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan said in
court papers. "He exhibited zero regard for the harm inflicted
on his victims."
    His defense lawyer, Barry Zone, asked for a sentence of no
more than five years, arguing that Azari had accepted
responsibility and contracted a "debilitating medical condition"
while jailed in New York. 
    Prosecutors said now-defunct payment processor Wirecard,
which was a member of Germany's blue chip DAX index before
filing for insolvency in 2020, hired Azari to target individuals
and financial firms that had criticized the company. 
    According to prosecutors, Azari also used hackers to steal
emails from climate activists who were campaigning against U.S.
oil company Exxon Mobil Corp  XOM.N , which then cited media
articles based on those messages to fend off probes by U.S.
state attorneys general. 
    Prosecutors did not allege any link between Azari and Exxon,
which denied any connection to Azari or his hacking campaign. 
    Azari was the subject of an investigation last year by
Reuters that revealed how he and other private eyes used
mercenary hackers in India to help wealthy clients gain an
advantage in court battles.

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Israeli charged in global hacker-for-hire scheme pleads guilty  
 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-charged-global-hacker-for-hire-scheme-pleads-guilty-2022-04-20/#:~:text=NEW%20YORK%2C%20April%2020%20(Reuters,aggravated%20identity%20theft%20on%20Wednesday.
Mercenary hackers stole data that Exxon later cited in climate
lawsuits -US prosecutors     urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N3BI3LR
How mercenary hackers sway litigation battles    https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-hackers-litigation/
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 (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Cynthia
Osterman)
 ((luc.cohen@thomsonreuters.com; +1 646 361 1622; Reuters
Messaging: Twitter: @cohenluc))