PITTSBURGH – A Russian national has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of wire fraud, computer fraud and money laundering.
The five-count indictment, returned on Nov. 27, named Ilya Kulkov, of Barnaul, Russia, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, between January 22, 2017 and February 2, 2017, Kulkov hacked into a desktop computer located at the Pittsburgh National Golf Course in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, from his home in Russia. Once Kulkov had control of Pittsburgh National’s computer, he engaged in a systematic pattern of internet fraud by buying and exporting products from the United States to Barnaul, Russia.
“Over the past year, we have aggressively investigated and prosecuted cyber criminals, both foreign and domestic,” said U.S. Attorney Scott Brady. “The use of computers and the internet is now part of everyone’s daily life. From our prosecution of officers of the Russia intelligence directorate to the hacking of routers in 43 countries to internet fraud targeting our elderly residents, our office will go to the ends of the earth to hold cyber criminals accountable and protect the citizens of western Pennsylvania.”
The law provides for a sentence of not more than twenty years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000 or both.
