Convicted Russian Hacker Anikeyev Released From Prison

MOSCOW (AP) — The leader of a hacker group that targeted prominent Russian officials has been released from prison.

FILE In this file photo taken on Thursday, July 6, 2017, Shaltai-Boltai (Humpty-Dumpty) hacker group leader Vladimir Anikeyev is seen in a cage in a court room in Moscow, Russia. The leader of a hacker group that has targeted prominent Russian officials has been released from prison. Anikeyev, who headed Shaltai-Boltai (Humpty-Dumpty) hacker group, was sentenced to two years in prison a year ago. His lawyer said Monday, Aug. 6, 2018 that Anikeyev was set free in line with a new law equating one days spent in pre-trial detention to 1 and a half days in prison. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev, File)

Vladimir Anikeyev, who headed Shaltai-Boltai (Humpty-Dumpty) hacker group, was sentenced to two years in prison a year ago. His lawyer said Monday that Anikeyev was set free in line with a new law that makes one day spent in pre-trial detention equivalent to 1½ days in prison.

Anikyev’s group hacked the accounts of several government officials, including a spokeswoman for Russia’s prime minister.

Anikyev was arrested in November 2016, but his arrest only became known after Russian news outlets reported that two officials of the Federal Security Service’s cybercrime unit had been arrested on treason charges.

Some reports suggested the officials had connections to the hacker group or had tried to control it.

Categories / Criminal, International, Technology

Subscribe to our free newsletters

Our weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.