KAREN Serobovich Vardanyan, a 34-year-old Armenian national, pleaded guilty in the U.S. to his involvement in Ryuk ransomware attacks targeting American organizations from 2019 to 2020. Extradited from Ukraine following his arrest in 2025, he admitted to facilitating unauthorized access to corporate networks and deploying ransomware that encrypted victims' data, demanding Bitcoin for decryption keys. Notable victims included a Michigan company, which paid 200 Bitcoin, and a school in Texas.
The group reportedly collected around 1,610 Bitcoin, valued over $15 million. Facing up to 15 years in prison, Vardanyan's sentencing is scheduled for September 22, 2026, and he is required to pay over $1.1 million in restitution.