TechFlow News, March 25: According to a report by Decrypt, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana sentenced Russian national Aleksei Volkov to 81 months in prison and ordered him to pay approximately $9.2 million in restitution to victims, while also forfeiting equipment used in the commission of his crimes.
Volkov, currently 26 years old and from St. Petersburg, Russia, operated as an “initial access broker,” specializing in infiltrating corporate networks and selling access credentials to ransomware groups such as Yanluowang, thereby facilitating the encryption of victims’ data and extortion of cryptocurrency ransoms. His actions caused over $9 million in actual losses and intended losses exceeding $24 million.
In November 2025, after being arrested by Italian authorities and extradited to the United States, Volkov pleaded guilty to six charges: unlawful transfer of identification documents, trafficking in unauthorized access devices, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit computer fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
