<div dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-14/russia-said-to-send-jpmorgan-hack-suspect-back-home-to-u-s">https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-14/russia-said-to-send-jpmorgan-hack-suspect-back-home-to-u-s</a><br><p>An American fugitive who is accused of conspiring to organize the
largest known cyber attack on Wall Street arrived back home in the U.S.
from Russia, resolving months of negotiations at a moment of high
tension over hacking between Moscow and Washington.</p><p>Joshua Aaron
pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan courtroom Wednesday evening to 16
criminal counts, including hacking, securities fraud and conspiracy. The
most serious charges carry a possible sentence of as long as 20 years
in prison.</p><p>Aaron, 32, was taken into custody about 12:30
p.m. Wednesday at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport,
after arriving on a flight from Moscow. His arrest follows negotiations
with U.S. authorities from a migrant detention center near the Russian
capital for more than seven months, according to people who asked not to
be identified because the information is private.</p>
<p>Aaron’s attorney, Ben Brafman, said his client waived
extradition and is in the U.S. voluntarily. A spokesman for Russia’s
Interior Ministry, which is in charge of the migration center, couldn’t
be reached by phone for comment.</p><p>Aaron, a Maryland native, was
ordered held without bail by U.S. Magistrate Judge James Francis and is
scheduled to appear in court again Thursday morning.</p><p>Aaron and two
Israelis are accused of orchestrating what Manhattan U.S. Attorney
Preet Bharara called “securities fraud on cyber steroids” from 2007 to
mid-2015. They’re implicated in stealing data from more than 100 million
customers from companies including <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/JPM:US" title="Company Overview" target="_blank">JPMorgan Chase & Co.</a> and using that information to manipulate stocks and undertake other schemes that netted hundreds of millions of dollars.</p><p>“Joshua
Samuel Aaron allegedly worked to hack into the networks of dozens of
American companies, ultimately leading to the largest theft of personal
information from U.S. financial institutions ever,” Bharara said in a
statement.</p><h3>Unidentified Hacker</h3><p>What remains unclear in the
case is who conducted the actual attacks. Court documents filed in
relation to the breaches link it to an unidentified Russian-speaking
hacker, making it possible that Aaron may have information on the
hacking to share with U.S. investigators.</p>
<p>Aaron’s arrival comes as members of the U.S. security
community and cyber investigators say Russia is behind efforts to hack
the Democratic National Committee to sow confusion in elections and
attempt to disrupt the failed campaign of Democratic presidential
candidate Hillary Clinton.</p><p>The events leading to Aaron’s return
came together abruptly this week, with the 32-year-old roused early this
morning and dispatched to the airport, one of the people said.</p><p>
</p><aside class="gmail-inline-newsletter"><div class="gmail-inline-newsletter__main"><div class="gmail-inline-newsletter__content"><div class="gmail-inline-newsletter__subscribe"><div class="gmail-inline-newsletter__message">
</div>U.S. authorities <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-21/fbi-israel-make-securities-fraud-arrests-tied-to-jpmorgan-hack" title="FBI, Israel Securities Fraud Arrests Tied to JPMorgan Hack (1)" target="_blank">issued</a>
an arrest warrant for Aaron in July 2015, accusing him and
co-defendants Gery Shalon and Ziv Orenstein of participating in a ring
that extracted nonpublic information from financial corporations,
processed payment information for fake pharmaceuticals and fake
anti-virus software, falsified passports and took control of a New
Jersey credit union. The three used 75 companies and bank and brokerage
accounts around the world to launder money, authorities allege. Israel
extradited Shalon and Orenstein to the U.S. in July 2016.</div></div></div></aside><p>Aaron arrived in Moscow from Ukraine in May 2015, just weeks before the U.S. unveiled charges against him and his co-defendants.</p><p>Moscow
police detained Aaron a year later, after he failed to produce a valid
passport during a midnight check at his apartment above the Beverly
Hills Diner near downtown. In a statement to Russian prosecutors on the
day of his detention, Aaron said he wasn’t aware of the U.S. arrest
warrant and denied breaking any U.S. laws.</p><p>On
May 20, a Russian judge ordered Aaron deported and fined him 5,000
rubles ($82) for violating the rules of his three-year visa, which
requires holders to exit and re-enter the country every six months. A
second judge rejected his appeal in June. Aaron was moved to a detention
center for illegal immigrants near Moscow.</p><p>Aaron, who attended Florida State University, was <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-10/jpmorgan-hack-fugitive-said-to-seek-u-s-deal-from-russian-cell" title="JPMorgan Hack Fugitive Said to Seek U.S. Deal From Russian Cell" target="_blank">negotiating</a>
his return to the U.S. in October, and talks between his lawyers and
U.S. officials were progressing, people familiar with the matter said at
the time. The sides discussed a possible plea deal, these people said. </p><p>Russia,
which doesn’t extradite its citizens or have an extradition treaty with
the U.S., had offered to hand him over in exchange for a “reciprocal”
act, but received no reply from the U.S. Embassy, court transcripts
show. He had presumably been free to leave Russia for a country of his
choice. </p><p>Aside from JPMorgan, companies that have confirmed being attacked in connection with the group linked to Aaron include <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/FIIJ:JP" title="Company Overview" target="_blank">Fidelity Investments Ltd.</a>, E*Trade Financial Corp., <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/0454979D:US" title="Company Overview" target="_blank">Scottrade Financial Services Inc.</a> and Dow Jones & Co., a unit of News Corp.</p><br></div>