BreachForums Admin To Be Re-Sentenced After Violating Conditions Of His Release
Read also: Europol’s largest-ever operation seizes millions in criminal assets, Italian teen arrested for hacking, and more.
Thursday, January 23, 2025
BreachForums admin to be re-sentenced after violating conditions of his release
Conor Fitzpatrick (aka “Pompompurin”) the founder and administrator of the cybercrime platform BreachForums, will be re-sentenced after an appellate court vacated a district court ruling that gave him a light sentence.
Fitzpatrick, who had pleaded guilty to charges including possession of child pornography and conspiracy to traffic in stolen personal data, initially received just 17 days in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release. The court's lenient decision was based on his age (21 at the time) and an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, which it believed would hinder his treatment in prison.
Fitzpatrick, arrested in 2023, had been operating BreachForums, which facilitated the theft of sensitive personal data, including from the FBI and Washington DC's healthcare marketplace.
After his guilty plea, he violated release conditions by accessing the internet and participating in Discord chatrooms. During these chats, Fitzpatrick not only claimed innocence but also joked about selling data to foreign governments and discussed hacking targets. Under the federal sentencing guidelines, the prosecution recommended a minimum of 188 months in prison. However, the judge sentenced Fitzpatrick to no additional prison time, aside from the 17 days he had already served in detention while awaiting sentencing, after violating the conditions of his release.
Millions seized and dozens of crypto wallets identified as part of Europol’s largest-ever operation
Europol disclosed the details its largest-ever operation codenamed ‘Project A.S.S.E.T.’ (Asset Search and Seize Enforcement Taskforce), which concluded on January 17, 2025. Project A.S.S.E.T. is aimed at disrupting the financial networks that support organized crime and terrorism.
The global operation involved over 80 financial experts and 43 law enforcement agencies across 28 countries. The action resulted in the identification and seizure of millions of dollars in criminal assets, including properties, bank accounts, luxury vehicles, yachts, and cryptocurrencies.
Among the seized assets were 53 properties, eight valued at €38.5 million ($40 million), 220 bank accounts, one with $5.6 million, and 83 crypto wallets linked to criminal groups.
Additionally, 15 companies, 20 luxury yachts, and several high-end vehicles were also seized. A total of 200,000 euros in cryptocurrencies were frozen as part of the operation.
An Italian teen hacks into the Ministry of Education to change his grades, re-routes ships in the Mediterranean
A 15-year-old Italian teenager hacked into the Ministry of Education to change his grades from failing marks to slightly better ones, but he didn’t stop there. He then infiltrated maritime systems and re-routed oil tankers and other ships in the Mediterranean Sea.
The perpetrator didn't aim for financial gain or a political statement, but rather sought to demonstrate his abilities. His actions caught the attention of authorities, leading to an investigation. Eventually, it was revealed that the hacker was from Cesena, Italy, and his case was referred to the Juvenile Court of Bologna.
The Ministry of Education clarified that no security breaches were found in its systems, though the teen likely accessed an electronic register. It remains unclear how he managed to alter maritime routes or whether any damage occurred.
It should be noted, that the school hacked by the teen, could face a fine of up to 10 million euros. This is the maximum penalty under the GDPR for breaching security obligations. Additionally, school principals and teachers may face both disciplinary and financial consequences.
Fraudster pleads guilty to scams that caused hundreds of thousands in losses
Marco Raquan Honesty, a 28-year-old US citizen, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for his involvement in a range of fraudulent schemes that caused financial losses exceeding $600,000.
From January 2021 to April 2022, Honesty orchestrated scams including fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications, smishing attacks, identity theft, and the manipulation of money orders. His activities also included selling stolen financial data through a Telegram channel and taking over bank accounts to transfer funds illicitly.
According to the US authorities, Honesty defrauded the PPP by submitting fake loan applications for non-existent businesses, leading to a loss of over $500,000 for the Small Business Administration. He also used smishing to steal banking credentials, created fake IDs for car dealership fraud, and manipulated money orders for further financial gain. A search of his home in 2023 uncovered stolen financial data, phones, and computer equipment.
Honesty will be sentenced on May 23, 2025, where he faces a maximum of 20 years for wire fraud and an additional mandatory two years for aggravated identity theft.
SilkRoad founder Ross Ulbricht walks free after a decade in prison
US President Donald Trump announced that he had granted a "full and unconditional pardon" to Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the Silk Road, a notorious online black market. Ulbricht had been sentenced to life in prison for his role in running the marketplace, which facilitated the illegal trade of drugs, counterfeit currencies, and hacking services.
The Silk Road, launched in 2011, generated over $200 million before being shut down by authorities in 2013. Ulbricht, who operated under the alias ‘Dread Pirate Roberts,’ was arrested shortly afterward and convicted in 2015 on charges including money laundering and narcotics trafficking.
In November 2022, the US Department of Justice seized over 50,000 Bitcoin in 2021 related to a Silk Road fraud.
Additionally, James Ellingson, a former Silk Road drug vendor who went by the alias 'redandwhite', faced charges of narcotics trafficking and money laundering after he allegedly claimed to have orchestrated the murders of five people on behalf of Ross Ulbricht. However, the Department of Justice later clarified that there was no evidence to support the claim that these murders occurred.
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