A 19-year-old dual citizen of the United States and Estonia has been extradited to the US after being arrested in Finland in April.
Peter Stokes was apprehended pursuant to an Interpol red notice and charged with conspiracy, computer intrusion, and fraud.
“The criminal complaint charges Peter Stokes with membership in Scattered Spider, a hacking group that has been involved in over 100 network intrusions, resulting in more than US$100 million in ransom payments and millions more in damages to the victims,” Assistant Attorney-General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s criminal division said in a 1 July statement.
“The charges unsealed today are the result of years of work by the criminal division, the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, and the FBI. We will continue to partner to ensure that cyber criminals cannot evade the reach of the United States.”
The complaint alleges that Stokes and his hacker colleagues targeted a luxury jewellery retailer and demanded US$8 million ransom in cryptocurrency. The company didn’t pay, but nonetheless suffered approximately US$2 million in losses due to business disruptions.
“The malicious attacks from Scattered Spider caused widespread disruption to businesses and organisations throughout the United States,” US attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois said.
“As co-chair of the White Collar, Cyber, and Crypto Subcommittee of Acting Attorney General Blanche’s Advisory Committee, I am acutely aware of the significant and growing threat posed by brazen cyber criminals. These charges underscore our unwavering commitment to keeping pace with technologically savvy criminal actors and holding accountable those who seek to profit from cyber intrusions, including those located in foreign jurisdictions who do harm to American businesses and victims.”
Stokes’ arrest and extradition comes just days after two other Scattered Spider members, Thalha Jubair, 20, and Owen Flowers, 18, pleaded guilty to attacking Transport for London in 2024, causing widespread disruption to operations and ultimately costing TfL £29 million in losses and recovery expenses.
The pair were arrested last year in their homes by London Police and the UK National Crime Agency.
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David Hollingworth
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.