A Russian national living in New York has been charged in connection with hacking into customer brokerage accounts and stealing $1 million, officials said. The Justice Department said charges filed Tuesday named Petr Murmylyuk, also known as Dmitry Tokar, 31, of Brooklyn, New York, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, unauthorised access to computers, and securities fraud.
"Members of the ring first gained unauthorised access to the online accounts and changed the phone numbers and e-mail addresses on file to prevent notice of unauthorised trading from going to the victims," according to a Justice Department statement. Once the hackers controlled the accounts, and set up "unprofitable and illogical securities trades" to benefit the hackers, the statement said.