June 18, 2024 at 12:36PM
Two men from New York and Rhode Island pleaded guilty to hacking a US law enforcement database. Sagar Steven Singh, 20, and Nicholas Ceraolo, 26, part of the Vile group, extorted people by threatening to release stolen personal information. They accessed the database using a stolen password and faced up to seven years in prison for their illegal actions.
Based on the meeting notes, it is apparent that two individuals, Sagar Steven Singh and Nicholas Ceraolo, from New York and Rhode Island, respectively, have pleaded guilty to hacking into a database maintained by a US federal law enforcement agency. They were part of an extortion group called Vile, which aimed to extract personal information and then threaten to post it on a public website unless victims paid them to have their information removed. They accessed the database using a stolen password for a law enforcement officer’s account, gaining access to sensitive information on narcotics and currency seizures, as well as law enforcement intelligence reports.
The two also threatened to harm a victim’s family unless they provided the credentials for their Instagram accounts, exploiting the personal information extracted from the database to instill fear and claim their ability to obtain information on anyone in the US. Communication between the two individuals indicated their awareness of the illegal nature of their actions and the potential of the tools they could access through the portal.
As a result, the Department of Justice has stated that they could face between two and seven years in prison for their actions. The US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, emphasized the severity of their actions, highlighting that they hacked into a law enforcement database, accessed sensitive personal information, and resorted to threats and extortion to monetize their illegal activities.
The case serves as a prominent example of the serious consequences individuals face for engaging in cybercrimes and the increasing emphasis on prosecuting such actions to ensure the protection of sensitive personal information.