A 33-YEAR-OLD British-Nigerian national Idris Dayo Mustapha has pleaded guilty in a New York court
to charges related to a sophisticated hacking scheme that spanned over seven years, resulting in over $6 million in losses for customers of banks and brokerages.
Mustapha entered a guilty plea for access device fraud, conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and securities fraud, as well as conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The plea was made before US District Judge Pamela Chen in Brooklyn.
Originally
hailing from Lagos, Nigeria, Mustapha was apprehended in the United Kingdom in August 2021 and subsequently extradited to the United States in August.
Scheduled for sen
tencing on April 3, 2024, Mustapha could face a maximum prison term of 20 years, though the actual sentence may be less. A spokesperson for Mustapha’s legal representation was not available for immediate comment.
The charges against Mustapha involve a period from January 2011 to March 2018, during which he and his associates allegedly employed phishing techniques and other methods to acquire user names
and passwords, gaining unauthorized access to online accounts.
Prosecutors detailed that the conspirators redirected victims’ funds and securities to their accounts, conducting unauthorised stock trades in compromised accounts. Simultaneously, they executed profitable trades in the same stocks within their personal accounts.
(with Reuters)
