The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has [.fow1-2]indicted[.fow1-2] and charged a Russian who used a [.fow1-1]hacking[.fow1-1] group to perform [.fow1-3]cyberattacks[.fow1-3] on more than 2,000 victims, including Fulton County, to steal more than $100 million.

The DOJ said that 31-year-old Russian national Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev is the leader of the [.fow1-4]ransomware[.fow1-4] group LockBit. The U.S. agency also joined United Kingdom and Australian [.fow1-5]law enforcement[.fow1-5] partners in punishing Khoroshev, the DOJ said on May 7.

Khoroshev – also known as LockBitSupp, LockBit, and putinkrab – of Voronezh, Russia, is charged with 26 charges, returned by a jury in the District of New Jersey.

“As part of our [nonstop] efforts to [catch] [.fow1-4]ransomware[.fow1-4] groups and protect victims, the Justice Department has brought over two dozen criminal charges against the [leader] of LockBit, one of the world’s most dangerous [.fow1-4]ransomware[.fow1-4] organizations,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.

The U.K. National Crime Agency’s (NCA) [.fow1-3]Cyber[.fow1-3] Division worked together with the DOJ, FBI, and other international[.fow1-5] law enforcement[.fow1-5] partners to stop Lockbit [.fow1-4]ransomware[.fow1-4] in February. They [.fow2-1]seized[.fow2-1] public-facing websites LockBit used to connect its technology by taking control of servers used by LockBit leaders.

Earlier this year, Lockbit attacked Fulton County, shutting down some services for weeks. Fulton Commission Chairman Robb Pitts confirmed on Feb. 29 that the county did not pay any [.fow1-4]ransomware[.fow1-4] request. The [.fow1-1]hacking[.fow1-1] group never shared any data it said it stole from Fulton County.

A blog called "Krebs on Security" reported at the time that security experts said that LockBit likely was [.fow2-2]bluffing[.fow2-2] and lost most of the data when [.fow1-5]law enforcement[.fow1-5] [.fow2-1]seized[.fow2-1] its servers on Feb. 20.

Khoroshev [.fow2-3]allegedly[.fow2-3] designed the [.fow1-4]ransomware[.fow1-4] group to operate in the “[.fow1-4]ransomware[.fow1-4]-as-a-service” model, according to the DOJ. They further say that he arranged for the design of the LockBit [.fow1-4]ransomware[.fow1-4] code, hired other LockBit members to use it against victims, and managed the LockBit computers, including an online software called a “control panel” to give his hackers the tools necessary to use LockBit.

Khoroshev [.fow2-3]allegedly[.fow2-3] received a 20 percent share of each [.fow2-5]ransom[.fow2-5] payment taken from LockBit’s victims.

The [.fow2-4]indictment[.fow2-4]’s 26 charges carry a maximum penalty of 185 years in prison. Each one also carries a maximum fine of which one is greatest, $250,000 or the economic injury to the victim or gain to the criminal.

The U.S. State Department announced a reward of up to $10 million for information that led to catching Khoroshev. That is on top of a previous $10 million reward for information leading to the identification of anyone who holds a leadership position in the criminal group behind LockBit [.fow1-4]ransomware[.fow1-4].