Three Russian nationals have been indicted on charges of computer fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with an alleged scheme that defrauded Americans and other global victims of over $63 million. The indictment, unsealed Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, details how the individuals operated St. Petersburg, Russia-based companies, Media Land, LLC and ML.Cloud, LLC.
According to federal prosecutors, these companies provided "bulletproof hosting" services, essentially offering IT infrastructure and technical support to clients seeking to evade law enforcement detection. These services facilitated a range of malicious cyber activities, including the deployment of malware and ransomware, and supported criminal marketplaces, fraudulent domain registrations, phishing attacks, and brute force attacks.
The trio, identified as Alexander Alexandrovich Volosovik, 43; Kirill Andreevich Zatolokin, 34; and Yulia Vladimirovna Pankova, 29, are accused of conducting these activities from overseas. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division stated that the defendants ran "criminal infrastructure that powered attacks on critical institutions across our nation," emphasizing that their actions put the American public at risk.
The victims of the scheme span 21 states across the United States and include various entities such as banks, schools, government agencies, hospitals, and media companies. U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio David M. Toepfer highlighted the broad impact of the cybercrimes, noting that they touched "every aspect of Americans’ lives."
International collaboration was crucial in pursuing the charges. U.S. authorities worked with partners including the National Police of the Netherlands, the Netherlands' Public Prosecutor's Office, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, the United Kingdom Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Australian Federal Police. FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Josh DelManzo underscored the importance of these global partnerships in combating cybercriminals operating in a borderless digital world.
The U.S. and allied countries imposed sanctions on Media Land and ML.Cloud in 2025. The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program is offering up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of foreign government-linked associates of the indicted individuals or affiliates of their companies. Federal prosecutors stated that the investigation is ongoing.