ATLANTA – Slava Dmitriev has been sentenced for access device fraud in connection with his possession and sale of over seventeen hundred stolen identities on the dark web. Dmitriev, a Canadian citizen, was arrested while on vacation in Greece in September 2020 and extradited to the United States in January 2021.
“This defendant profited off buying and selling people’s stolen identities, including victims in this district,” said U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “As a result of the diligence of federal agents coupled with valuable cooperation of Greek law enforcement, Dmitriev was arrested, extradited, and is now sentenced to federal prison.”
“Dmitriev stole the identities of hard-working citizens of the United States and thought he was safe from prosecution while overseas,” said Phil Wislar, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This sentence will serve as a reminder that the FBI will always work diligently with International Law Enforcement partners to bring justice to citizens who have been victimized.”
According to U.S. Attorney Erskine, the charges and other information presented in court: Dmitriev used the moniker “GoldenAce” to buy and sell stolen identities, including social security numbers, on the darknet marketplace AlphaBay. From May 2016 through July 2017, Dmitriev sold 1,764 items on AlphaBay for approximately $100,000. The vast majority of these items were stolen identities, including names, dates of birth, social security numbers, and other personally identifiable information. There were at least five victims residing in the Northern District of Georgia.
Dmitriev also collaborated with the cyber-extortionist group “the Dark Overlord” (“TDO”), including:
- On June 16, 2016, Dmitriev sent TDO access credentials for a New York dentist that Dmitriev had purchased on a criminal marketplace. The dentist was subsequently breached and extorted by TDO.
- On July 11, 2016, Dmitriev received a spreadsheet from TDO containing approximately 200,000 stolen identities.
- On May 24, 2017, Dmitriev sold information stolen by TDO that contained the identity of a victim living in La Quinta, California.
On September 8, 2020, Dmitriev was arrested while traveling in Greece. The following day, Greek authorities executed a search warrant on the residence where Dmitriev was staying and located a computer containing emails discussing the buying and selling of identities and social security numbers, as well as a video about how to perpetrate identify theft.
Slava Dmitriev, 29, of Vaughn, Ontario, Canada has been sentenced to three years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Dmitriev pleaded guilty on August 30, 2021 to the charge of fraud and related activity in connection with access devices.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance provided by the Hellenic (Greek National) Police, Naxos Public Prosecutor’s Office, and the Ministry of Justice Directorate of Special Legal Affairs.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Herskowitz, Chief of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section, and Nathan Kitchens, Chief of the Public Integrity and Special Matters Section, prosecuted the case. Valuable assistance was also provided by the Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section and Office of International Affairs.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia
Update: As I tweeted yesterday, Dmitriev’s aka’s, according to his court records, included:
- Stunna
- Stunna Slavz
- Stunnaslavzzz
- Stunnaslavzz
- Slavaeurod
- Salvo Dimtro
- GoldenAce
- Tehroyale
As also tweeted yesterday, this threat actor was never on my radar at all as part of my reporting and investigating thedarkoverlord. And apparently, Vinny Troia never knew about him, either, as he also said this person was unknown to him.