The Latest: Foreign hacker gets 8 years in $55M US scam case

NEW YORK – The Latest on the sentencing of a foreign hacker charged with carrying out a $55 million scam (all times local):

1:40 p.m.

A prolific Russian-speaking hacker behind cyberattacks that netted an estimated $55 million has been sentenced to eight years in prison by a U.S. judge.

Turkish national Ercan Findikoglu appeared in a federal courthouse in New York on Friday.

His conviction marks an unusual victory for law enforcement officials who pursue such cases. While the authorities have identified hundreds of Russian-speaking hackers, getting them into handcuffs is difficult.

Ex-Secret Service special agent Robert Sica says officials monitor foreign hackers until they travel to a friendly country that will extradite them to the U.S.

That’s what happened with Findikoglu, who was arrested in Germany in 2013 and eventually sent to the U.S.

Prosecutors say Findikoglu hacked into credit card processors and then lifted the limit on prepaid credit cards to pocket cash.

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1 a.m.

A prolific foreign hacker behind cyberattacks that netted an estimated $55 million is facing sentencing by a U.S. judge.

The conviction of Turkish national Ercan Findikoglu is considered an unusual win for law enforcement officials, who have identified hundreds of others like him, but failed to put them in handcuffs.

Ex-Secret Service special agent Robert Sica says agents have to monitor foreign hackers until they travel to a friendly country that will extradite them to the U.S.

Findikoglu was arrested in 2013 in Germany and was eventually extradited. He has pleaded guilty to hacking charges, and is scheduled to be sentenced Friday.

Prosecutors say he masterminded three complex, global financial crimes by hacking into different credit card processors and lifting the limit on stolen prepaid credit cards to withdraw cash.