Three Russian citizens face accusations of defrauding Americans out of more than $63 million. A recently unsealed indictment from December 2024 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio reveals these charges.
The individuals, Alexander Alexandrovich Volosovik, 43, Kirill Andreevich Zatolokin, 34, and Yulia Vladimirovna Pankova, 29, are accused of engaging in harmful cyber activities targeting critical U.S. infrastructure. Federal prosecutors identified their companies, Media Land, LLC and ML.Cloud, LLC, based in St. Petersburg, Russia, as central to these activities.
“From their overseas safe haven, these defendants ran the criminal infrastructure that powered attacks on critical institutions across our nation,” stated A. Tysen Duva, Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice Criminal Division.
“Their actions put the American public at risk. We will continue to dismantle these networks and protect our critical infrastructure from cybercriminals at home and abroad,” Duva added.
A grand jury charged the trio with conspiracy to commit and aid computer fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in December 2024. The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information about foreign government-linked associates or affiliates of the companies involved.
In 2025, the U.S. and allied nations imposed sanctions on Media Land and ML.Cloud. According to the indictment, these companies provided “bulletproof hosting” services used to evade law enforcement detection. The services aided criminal clients in infecting computers with malware and ransomware, extorting victims for money and cryptocurrency.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office explained that Media Land and ML.Cloud facilitated other crimes such as supporting criminal marketplaces, fraudulent domain registrations, and launching phishing and brute force attacks. These actions affected U.S. residents and individuals globally, prompting international cooperation.
“The victims in this case span 21 states, touching every aspect of Americans’ lives from banks to hospitals,” stated U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio David M. Toepfer. “Together with our international partners, we will aggressively pursue those hiding behind computers worldwide who profit by targeting community infrastructures.”
Toepfer expressed gratitude to the National Police of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Public Prosecutor’s Office, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, and other international bodies for their cooperation.
“Today’s announcement underscores the importance of global partnerships,” mentioned FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Josh DelManzo. He highlighted that cybercriminals use various methods, including ransomware and phishing, to exploit personal and business information for profit.
Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ for additional comments, but the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District of Ohio did not comment further, citing an ongoing investigation.