Hacker extradited from Thailand to US
19 December 2003
A Ukrainian hacker rumoured to have caused $100 million worth of damages is to be extradited from Thailand to face justice in the US.
A Thai criminal court yesterday granted a request by the US authorities to send Maksym Kovalchuk, who was arrested in Bangkok in May, to answer criminal charges in California dating back to 2000.
According to the Associated Press, Kovalchuk is believed to be responsible for the development of 'web-spoofing', a type of identity fraud that has become a serious internet problem.
The US attorney's office for northern California, which applied for his extradition, claimed that Kovalchuk set up websites through which he allegedly sold counterfeit software from Microsoft, Adobe and Macromedia, worth a retail price of $3 million.
But sources quoted by the AP said that Kovalchuk might have caused damage of up to $100 million through a number of computer crimes.
He now faces up to 20 years in prison or a fine of $500,000 if convicted of money-laundering, the most serious charge against him.
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