A Turkish citizen pleaded not guilty to charges he masterminded a scheme that siphoned tens of millions of dollars from automated teller machines (ATMs), appearing in a US court for the first time after an 18-month extradition battle.
Ercan Findikoglu, also known as the “Predator,” allegedly ran a network that hacked payment processing firms, gaining access to prepaid debit cards.
The scheme included JPMorgan Chase & Co-issued cards used by the Red Cross to provide funds to disaster victims, according to a US federal grand jury indictment unsealed on Wednesday in Brooklyn, New York.
The compromised cards were distributed in New York City and at least 20 countries to withdraw money from automatic teller machines. Three such operations were cited in the indictment resulting in withdrawals of a total of US$55 million.
In one case, the group used compromised cards in about 36,000 transactions to withdraw about US$40 million over two days in February 2013.
Findikoglu eluded capture for five years before being caught in Germany in December 2013. Members of the alleged New York cell were caught within months and prosecuted by a team led by now US Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
Assistant US Attorney Hilary Jager at a hearing in Brooklyn federal court alleged Findikoglu is a “criminal mastermind,” with extensive contacts overseas, and told a federal magistrate judge that he presents an “overwhelming risk of flight.”
Jager also asked that Findikoglu not be permitted to use e-mail while in jail.
US Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom ordered Findikoglu to be held without bail.
Findikoglu, 33, told Bloom that he understood English but otherwise spoke little during the proceeding.
His lawyer, Christopher Madiou, declined to comment after the arraignment.
Findikoglu is to appear in court again on July 15.
Findikoglu faces counts of conspiracy, computer intrusion, bank fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice and trafficking in unauthorized devices, among other crimes. Prosecutors said he might face as long as 35 years in prison if convicted.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
IN PURSUIT: Israel’s defense minister said the revenge attacks by Israeli settlers would make it difficult for security forces to find those responsible for the 14-year-old’s death Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday condemned the “heinous murder” of an Israeli teenager in the occupied West Bank as attacks on Palestinian villages intensified following news of his death. After Benjamin Achimeir, 14, was reported missing near Ramallah on Friday, hundreds of Jewish settlers backed by Israeli forces raided nearby Palestinian villages, torching vehicles and homes, leaving at least one villager dead and dozens wounded. The attacks escalated in several villages on Saturday after Achimeir’s body was found near the Malachi Hashalom outpost. Agence France-Presse correspondents saw smoke rising from burned houses and fields. Mayor Amin Abu Alyah, of the