Ukrainian National Sentenced for Role in Hacking Hospitals, Businesses, and Governments as Part of Ransomware Conspiracies Causing Over $100 Million in Losses

Artem Stryzhak, 36, a Ukrainian national, was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for conspiracy to commit computer fraud in connection with a series of ransomware attacks that targeted hospitals, government entities, law firms, and other businesses around the world.

“This sentence concludes a years-long, multi-continent investigation into a defendant who participated in cyber-attacks against Americans’ businesses and health care,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Cybercriminals who terrorize American businesses cannot evade justice by operating from abroad or hiding behind sophisticated technology. Artem Stryzhak’s sentence underscores the Justice Department’s resolve to dismantle ransomware groups, hold them accountable, and protect American businesses and people from cyber extortion.”

“Ransomware attacks like those committed by the defendant wreak enormous havoc — harming victim companies that pay millions in remediation and ransoms, preventing hospitals and other critical facilities from accessing data, and putting sensitive information in the hands of bad actors,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “Today’s sentence reflects that cybercriminals cannot hide from law enforcement and will face significant punishment for their criminal conduct. We remain determined to capture Volodymyr Tymoshchuk, a serial ransomware developer and Stryzhak’s co-conspirator.”

“Disrupting a ransomware group that attacked approximately 1,500 victims worldwide and sentencing a defendant who had targeted healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic is of significant importance to this office,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “We are proud of our law enforcement partners for their skilled investigative work in bringing this criminal to justice.”