Russian Cybercriminal Gets 2-Year Prison Sentence in US

Russian cybercriminal Ilya Angelov, known online as ‘Milan’ and ‘Okart’, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for his role in administering a botnet used to facilitate ransomware attacks, according to the DOJ.

Court documents state he was part of a threat group tracked by the FBI as Mario Kart and by the cybersecurity community as TA-551, Shathak, Gold Cabin, Monster Libra, G0127, and ATK236, and that the operation ran from 2017 to 2021, distributing malware via spam email attachments to build a botnet and monetise access for deploying ransomware. The DOJ notes the ransomware attacks affected more than 70 US corporations, with criminals earning $14 million in ransom payments.

In addition to the 24-month prison term, Angelov was fined $100,000 and ordered to pay a $1.6 million money judgment, enabling the seizure of assets tied to his criminal proceeds, and he has been in custody since 2023. The sentencing follows another Russian national, Aleksei Volkov, who received 81 months in prison for involvement in ransomware attacks.