Twenty-four prisoners were freed today in an international prisoner swap between Russia and Western countries. Among the eight Russians repatriated were several convicted cybercriminals. In return, Russia has reportedly released 16 prisoners, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and ex-U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.
Among the more notable Russian hackers released in the prisoner swap is Roman Seleznev, 40, who was sentenced in 2017 to 27 years in prison for racketeering convictions tied to a lengthy career in stealing and selling payment card data. Seleznev earned this then-record sentence by operating some of the underground’s most bustling marketplaces for stolen card data.
Roman Seleznev, pictured with bundles of cash. Image: US DOJ.
Once known by the hacker handles “Track2,” “Bulba” and “nCux,” Seleznev is the son of Valery Seleznev, a prominent member of the Russian parliament who is considered an ally of Vladimir Putin. U.S. prosecutors showed that for years Seleznev stayed a step ahead of the law by tapping into contacts at the Russian FSB, the successor agency to the Soviet KGB, and by periodically changing hacker handles.
But in 2014 Seleznev was captured by U.S. Secret Service agents, who had zeroed in on Seleznev’s posh vacation spot in The Maldives. At the time, the South Asian island country was a popular destination for Eastern Europe-based cybercriminals, who viewed it as beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement.
In addition to receiving a record prison sentence, Seleznev was ordered to pay more than $50 million in restitution to his victims. That loss amount equaled the total losses inflicted by Seleznev’s various carding stores, an ..
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