FBI New York
FBI New York Press Office
(212) 384-2100
November 10, 2015

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Assistant Director in Charge Diego G. Rodriguez Regarding Charges Stemming from Massive Network Intrusions

Gery Shalon, Joshua Aaron, and their co-conspirators robbed the victim companies, often for months at a time, stealing the contact information of tens of millions of customers.

They cloaked themselves in secrecy, but their methods rivaled those of the traditional masked robber.

Over the past three years, these defendants and others allegedly stole data related to tens of millions of U.S. citizens from at least a dozen U.S. and international corporations. That data was then used in furtherance of other financially driven criminal schemes, including stock market manipulation and illegal online gambling, among others.

The idea of employing contemporary tactics to commit conventional crimes isn’t a novel approach. Criminals continue to perpetrate a wide variety of crimes online, and significant cyber data breaches have had a negative impact across a variety of industries.

The FBI and our partners continue to build upon and improve our ability to work with domestic and international partners to pursue criminals engaged in this type of activity.

We have engaged the private sector and will continue to foster relationships to improve network security and recognize future threats.

When it comes to cyber crime, we know that preparedness is increasingly more important than prevention.

Today’s indictment sheds light on an increasingly complex threat. But just as criminals continue to develop relationships with one another in order to advance their objectives, the law enforcement community has developed a collaborative approach to fighting these types of crimes.

Many thanks, as always, to our partners from the Southern District of New York: U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara; Chiefs of the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit Nicole Friedlander and Paul Krieger; and the AUSAs in charge of the prosecution: Eun Young Choi, Sarah Lai, and Ted Diskant.

I’d like to thank our partners at the United States Secret Service, especially Special Agent in Charge Robert Sica, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ken Pleasant, Supervisory Special Agent Scott Sarafian, and Special Agent Tate Jarrow.

We would like to specifically recognize the outstanding work of the Israeli National Police for their exceptional support throughout this investigation. We also received substantial assistance from the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office, in particular Special Agent Mark Ray.

Last but not least, I extend my sincere congratulations to FBI Special Agents Patrick Hoffman, Joel DeCapua, and Jonathan Luca and Supervisory Special Agents Jay Kramer and Lilian Perez and their teams for their work on this investigation.

- FBI Wanted poster for Joshua Aaron