BALTIMORE, MD—The US Department of Justice announced the unsealing of criminal charges against two Russian nationals, Roman Berezhnoy, 33, and Egor Nikolaevich Glebov, 39, this week. They are accused of operating a cybercrime group that used Phobos ransomware to attack over 1,000 organizations worldwide, earning more than $16 million in ransom payments. Berezhnoy and Glebov are alleged to have been […]
BALTIMORE, MD—The FBI is warning individuals employed in the healthcare industry of ongoing widespread fraud schemes in which scammers impersonate law enforcement or government officials in attempts to extort money or steal personally identifiable information (PII). Authorities say the scammers research background information of their intended targets through a medical practice’s website and/or social media and supplement this information with […]
EASTON, MD—Maryland State Police are reminding parents of online safety and to be aware of online scams involving the sexual extortion of minors. Authorities say they have received numerous reports of minors being contacted by other social media users who begin chatting with them via messaging services such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Social media platforms may provide users the […]
BALTIMORE, MD—A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Muhammad Luqman Rana, 32, of City of Vaughan, Ontario, for the federal charges of production of child pornography and extortion by threat to injure the reputation of another. The indictment was returned on December 11, 2019 and unsealed on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 upon his extradition from Canada. The indictment […]
BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore County man will spend 12 years in prison on murder-for-hire and extortion charges. U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander on Thursday sentenced Stepfen Gerard Gaither, 30, of Randallstown, to 12 years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for a murder-for-hire conspiracy and for interstate communications with intent to extort, in connection to the […]
UPDATE: Adam Chaudry has been sentenced to prison. Original story below… BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III announced this week that a Baltimore City Grand Jury has indicted former Baltimore City Assistant State’s Attorney Adam Lane Chaudry on over 80 charges. The charges levied against Chaudry include stalking, extortion, harassment, obtaining phone records without authorization, felony theft scheme, […]
UPDATE: Clement Robert Mercaldo’s co-conspirator, Stepfen Gerard Gaither, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. Original story below… —— BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore County man has pleaded guilty to federal charges of murder-for-hire conspiracy and interstate communications with intent to extort. Clement Robert Mercaldo, Jr., 62, of Timonium, pleaded guilty on Friday in connection to the extortion and planned murder […]
NOTTINGHAM, MD – Two suspects remain held without bail after robbing a business owner at gunpoint and attempting to extort an additional $30,000. Information regarding the victims’ names and the exact locations of the crimes are being withheld by police in order to protect the victims in this case, however authorities confirmed to NottinghamMD that “at least some portion of […]