Russian Sentenced to 40 Months for Selling Stolen Data on Dark Web

A Moscow-based Russian national, Georgy Kavzharadze, has been sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for selling stolen financial information on the dark web marketplace known as Slilpp.

The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced that Kavzharadze, 27, was a prolific vendor of login credentials, personal information, and other sensitive information using the alias “TeRorPP.”

On 16 February 2024, Kavzharadze pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. Over and above his prison sentence, he was ordered to pay more than $1.2 million in restitution for damages caused by his criminal activities.

Using several online pseudonyms, including “Torqovec” and “PlutuSS,” Kavzharadze listed more than 626,000 stolen login credentials for sale on Slilpp between 2016 and 2021, selling nearly 300,000.

These credentials were linked to $1.2 million in fraudulent transactions, with victims’ accounts spanning New York, California, Nevada, and Georgia banks. Kavzharadze accepted Bitcoin as payment for these transactions and withdrew over $200,000 in profits from his Bitcoin account.

Slilpp, the dark web marketplace in which Kavzharadze operated, was disrupted in June 2021 by the FBI and international law enforcement agencies. The operation led to the seizure of the marketplace’s infrastructure and domain names.

Investigators gained access to Slilpp’s database, which contained detailed records of transactions, subscriber information, and other data that helped track his illicit activity. FBI undercover operations sealed the deal, confirming Kavzharadze’s involvement in the illegal marketplace.

Kavzharadze was initially charged on 24 August 2021 with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft. He was then extradited to the US, made his first court appearance in May 2022, and has remained in custody ever since.