Founder of One of World's Largest Hacker Forums Resentenced to Three Years in Prison

In a significant move against cybercrime, Conor Brian Fitzpatrick, 22, of Peekskill, New York, has been resentenced to three years in prison for his role in operating BreachForums, a notorious marketplace for cybercriminals to buy, sell, and trade hacked or stolen data and other contraband.

"Following the dismantlement of RaidForums by law enforcement, Mr. Fitzpatrick set up and administered BreachForums, an online bazaar where criminals could purchase sensitive data," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "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. To those seeking to operate a similar forum, take note: we will tirelessly investigate those who commit these crimes."

Conor Fitzpatrick personally profited from the sale of vast quantities of stolen information, ranging from private personal information to commercial data. 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."

The FBI is working tirelessly to dismantle criminal marketplaces like BreachForums, and we are pursuing the full range of actors who run these platforms," said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI's Cyber Division. "Today's sentencing demonstrates that anyone who helps others profit from theft, fraud, and other cybercrimes is not out of reach."

As part of his plea agreement, Fitzpatrick agreed to forfeit over 100 domain names used in the operation of BreachForums, more than a dozen electronic devices used to execute the scheme, and cryptocurrency that represented proceeds of the scheme.

A History of Notoriety

BreachForums was launched in March 2022 and rapidly developed into one of the world's largest English language hacking forums with over 330,000 members. The platform emerged as a replacement to RaidForums, a major English-language hacking forum that law enforcement seized in February 2022.

BreachForums gained notoriety by selling access to high-profile database breaches that contained, among other things, bank account information, social security numbers and other personal identifying information (PII), and usernames and associated passwords for accessing online accounts with merchants and service providers. The platform also maintained and offered access to at least 888 datasets of stolen information containing over 14 billion individual records of PII.

Some of the stolen datasets contained sensitive information of customers at telecommunication, social media, investment, health care services, and internet service providers. For instance, one database contained the names and contact information for approximately 200 million users of a major U.S.-based social networking site. Another database listed the details of approximately 87,760 members of InfraGard, a partnership between the FBI and private sector companies focused on the protection of critical infrastructure.

A Nationwide Effort

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney's Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

Since 2020, the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) has secured the conviction of over 180 cybercriminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds. The FBI's Washington Field Office investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Thomas Dougherty of the Justice Department's CCIPS and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Halper for the Eastern District of Virginia.

A Message from the Justice Department

"To those seeking to operate a similar forum, take note: we will tirelessly investigate those who commit these crimes," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti. "We will use all legal means to bring them to justice and protect our citizens from the devastating effects of cybercrime."