A Ukrainian hacker has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for a scheme using more than 13,000 computers to steal log-in and credit-card information, U.S. prosecutors say.
A U.S. district court in New Jersey on February 16 sentenced Serhiy Vovnenko, whose aliases included "Flycracker" and "Darklife," after he pleaded guilty last year to aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Vovnenko was also ordered to pay $83,368 in restitution.
Vovnenko's lawyer, Timothy Anderson, said he was pleased the sentence was not longer. Vovnenko could be released in a few months if he receives credit for all 32 months he has already spent in custody.
"He has committed himself to not be involved in criminal activities anymore," Anderson said.
Prosecutors said that from 2010 to 2012 Vovnenko, 31, hacked into computers, stole user names and passwords for bank accounts, and stole debit- and credit-card numbers.
Vovnenko admitted to operating a "botnet" of more than 13,000 computers infected with malware to gain unauthorized access.
Vovnenko also ran online hacking forums that trafficked in the data he stole.
