A citizen of Ukraine, Oleksii Ivanov, was extradited from the Netherlands to the U.S., where he will face hacking charges, the U.S. Department of Justice has said.
“The defendant conspired to expose millions of victim internet users to malicious advertisements designed to hack and infect victims’ computers with malware,” the message reads.
It is noted that Ivanov is scheduled to appear in Newark, New Jersey federal court today after being extradited from the Netherlands.
Oleksii Petrovich Ivanov, 31, is charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, four counts of wire fraud, and one count of computer fraud.
“This defendant engaged in an extraordinary and far-reaching scheme to infect and hack computers throughout the United States and the world,” said U.S. Attorney Carpenito.
According to him, this “malvertising” scheme is especially dangerous because it uses online ads to target “millions of unsuspecting Internet users engaged in activities as routine as booking their next vacation.”
Ivanov was arrested on Oct. 19, 2018, following an international investigation led by the U.S. Secret Service and in coordination with Dutch law enforcement.
