The U.S. government has charged the alleged mastermind of a hacking group that extorted hospitals.
Dimitry Yuryevich Khoroshev, 31, of Voronezh, Russia, faces a 26-count grand jury indictment in the District of New Jersey for creating, developing and administering the LockBit ransomware gang since its 2019 inception. He was known online as LockBitSupp, LockBit or putinkrab.
"The LockBit ransomware group represented one of the most prolific ransomware variants across the globe, causing billions of dollars in losses and wreaking havoc on critical infrastructure, including schools and hospitals," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a May 7 statement.
The State Department is offering up to $10 million for information leading to the capture of Mr. Khoroshev. He faces up to 185 years in prison and millions of dollars in fines. He is alleged to have personally pocketed $100 million from the extortions.
LockBit was one of the most active hacking groups before the U.S. and United Kingdom began dismantling it earlier this year. It often targeted health systems, demanding $900,000 from a Chicago safety-net hospital and attempting to extort a New Jersey health system in January, while causing ambulance diversions and appointment cancellations at two New York hospitals in September.