NASHVILLE, TN – A Ukrainian national has made his initial court appearance in the Middle District of Tennessee following his extradition from Ireland on federal charges related to the global Conti ransomware operation, which targeted over 1,000 victims and caused at least $150 million in ransom payments.
According to the Department of Justice, 43-year-old Oleksii Oleksiyovych Lytvynenko, of Cork, Ireland, conspired to deploy Conti ransomware between 2020 and June 2022 to hack into networks, encrypt data, and demand cryptocurrency ransoms. Prosecutors allege that Lytvynenko and his co-conspirators extorted more than $500,000 from two victims in Tennessee and published stolen data from a third.
The FBI reports that Conti was responsible for more attacks on critical infrastructure in 2021 than any other ransomware variant. Lytvynenko allegedly controlled stolen data and participated in creating ransom notes for targeted systems. He was arrested in July 2023 by Irish police at the request of the United States and remained in custody until his extradition.
Lytvynenko is charged with computer fraud conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy and faces up to 25 years in federal prison if convicted.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Nashville, San Diego, and El Paso field offices, along with the U.S. Secret Service.
