BreachForums founder Conor Brian Fitzpatrick has been resentenced to three years in prison on charges related to operation of the notorious cybercrime forum and possession of child pornography.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) had appealed Fitzpatrick’s sentence of time served because of mental health issues as too lenient, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit remanded the BreachForums founder’s case for resentencing earlier this year.
The DoJ announced the new sentence yesterday.
“Today’s sentence demonstrates the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to bringing to justice those who seek to sell stolen data to the highest bidder,” stated Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “To those seeking to operate a similar forum, take note: we will tirelessly investigate those who commit these crimes.”
“These crimes were so extensive that the damage is difficult to quantify, and the human cost of his collection of child sexual abuse material is incalculable,” said U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We will not allow criminals to hide in the darkest corners of the internet and will use all legal means to bring them to justice.”
BreachForums Founder Sentenced Amid Other Law Enforcement Actions
Fitzpatrick, 22, of Peekskill, New York, pleaded guilty to one count of access device conspiracy, one count of access device solicitation, and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material, the DoJ said.
As part of the plea agreement, the government said, Fitzpatrick agreed to forfeit more than 100 domain names used in the operation of BreachForums, more than a dozen electronic devices, and cryptocurrency proceeds.
Fitzpatrick, known in the cybercrime world as “Pompompurin,” was arrested in 2023 and pled guilty a few months later.
His resentencing this week comes three months after French authorities claimed to arrest prominent BreachForums member IntelBroker and members of the ShinyHunters collective. The primary BreachForums domain has been offline since April even as sites claiming to be BreachForums replacements have surfaced.
The English-language BreachForums launched in March 2022 as a replacement for RaidForums after it was seized by law enforcement, and claimed more than 330,000 members at its peak.
‘Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters’ Reemerging?
Meanwhile, the “Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters” collective that emerged as a coalition between ShinyHunters, Scattered Spider and LAPSUS$ claimed to be going dark earlier this month – yet may already be launching new threat activity.
ReliaQuest reported this week that Scattered Spider may now be turning its focus to the financial sector, including “a recently identified targeted intrusion against a US banking organization.”
“This recent activity comes shortly after the group’s affiliates announced they were ceasing operations, serving as a reminder not to be lulled into a false sense of security,” ReliaQuest said. “Despite these claims, their TTPs and IOCs are still surfacing, showing that the threat remains active and evolving.”
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