Romanian hacker Guccifer, who was responsible for revealing Hillary Clinton’s private email usage as secretary of state, appeared in U.S court Friday after being extradited from his home country.
Guccifer, whose real name is Marcel Lazar, is facing a nine count indictment related to his hacking activities. “Marcel Lazar is the latest of a dozen high-level cybercriminals who have recently been extradited to face justice in the United States,”Assistant Attorney General Caldwell said in a press release.
He added, “Old-fashioned investigative work, enhanced international law enforcement relationships, and a long memory can ensure that foreign-based hackers have no safe haven even in the remote corners of the globe. As the saying goes, ‘they can run, but they can’t hide.'”
Guccifer’s extradition was initially requested by the US and approved by the Romanian government in early March. The hacker targeted former and current U.S officials.
The Department of Justice said Frida: “According to the indictment, from December 2012 to January 2014, Lazăr hacked into the email and social media accounts of high-profile victims, including a family member of two former U.S. presidents, a former U.S. Cabinet member, a former member of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and a former presidential advisor. After gaining unauthorized access to their accounts, Lazăr publicly released his victims’ private email correspondence, medical and financial information and personal photographs. ”
The Romanian hacker revealed the existence of Hillary Clinton’s private email when he released emails he had hacked of her longtime pal Sid Blumenthal. Some of these emails contained memos related to the 2011 attacks on the American consulate in Benghazi. Guccifer once said, “I used to read [Clinton’s] memos…and then do the gardening.”