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Hacker Son of Russian Lawmaker Sentenced to 27 Years in U.S. Prison

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Trevor McFadden
Trevor McFadden talks about the federal court sentencing of Roman Seleznev to 27 years in prison after he was convicted of hacking into U.S. businesses to steal credit card data, in Seattle on April 21, 2017.Ted S. Warren—AP
By Mahita Gajanan

A Russian hacker was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison for stealing credit card numbers and selling the data online.

Roman Seleznev, the son of a Russian lawmaker, received the longest sentence for hacking-related charges in the U.S. on Friday, the New York Times reports. Seleznev was convicted for running a credit card and identity theft business and selling data online, resulting in about $170 million in losses. He targeted about 3,700 financial institutions and 500 business across the world.

Seleznev’s father is Valery Seleznev, a member of Russia’s parliament.

“Simply put, Roman Seleznev has harmed more victims and caused more financial loss than perhaps any other defendant that has appeared before the court,” prosecutors said, according to the Times. “This prosecution is unprecedented.”

Seleznev was arrested in 2014 in the Maldives.

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Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com