A Romanian affiliate of the NetWalker ransomware operation was sentenced to 20 years in prison this week after pleading guilty to charges related to carrying out cyberattacks.
Daniel Christian Hulea, 31, was extradited from Romania after being arrested in July 2023. He pleaded guilty to computer fraud conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy on June 20 in a Florida federal court.
Justice Department prosecutors said Hulea admitted to earning up to $21.5 million from NetWalker ransomware attacks. The group was well-known for attacking hospitals and the healthcare sector during the COVID-19 pandemic and opportunistically attacked dozens of companies, municipalities, schools and more.
As part of his 20-year plea deal, Hulea agreed to forfeit the $21.5 million and a resort in Bali that he obtained through money earned from ransomware attacks. He will also have to pay another $15 million in fines and penalties.
According to court documents, Hulea was part of a crew of European cybercriminals using various platforms to launch ransomware attacks. Several alleged developers of tools used by NetWalker affiliates were arrested in Poland last year. Part of Hulea’s plea agreement involves participating in the prosecution of other cybercriminals.
Hulea is the latest NetWalker affiliate to face charges and lengthy sentences. The FBI and Justice Department conducted a coordinated takedown of the group’s operations in January 2021, seizing cryptocurrency and charging Canadian affiliate Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins.
Vachon-Desjardins was later sentenced to 20 years in prison after U.S. District Judge William Jung said he was “Jesse James meets the 21st century.”
“You have one of the worst cases I’ve ever seen,” the judge said, later suggesting he would have sentenced Vachon-Desjardins to life in prison if his case had gone to trial.
Vachon-Desjardins also faced charges in Canada and was forced to pay restitution to several companies damaged by his ransomware attacks.
U.S. investigators said the ransomware gang’s list of victims may exceed 1,500 based on the information they found on the hackers’ servers, yet just 115 entities actually filed a police report.
Overall, NetWalker ransomware is responsible for more than 5,000 bitcoin (currently worth about $146.6 million) in extortion payments, prosecutors have said.
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Jonathan Greig
is a Breaking News Reporter at Recorded Future News. Jonathan has worked across the globe as a journalist since 2014. Before moving back to New York City, he worked for news outlets in South Africa, Jordan and Cambodia. He previously covered cybersecurity at ZDNet and TechRepublic.
