Lin Mun Poo, a Malaysian citizen who hacked into the Federal Reserve Bank and various private financial institutions, was sentenced today to 10 years of imprisonment by United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry. On April 13, 2011, Poo pled guilty to access device fraud in connection with possessing stolen bank card and credit card numbers and admitted that he compromised a computer server belonging to the Federal Reserve Bank and installed a malicious software code onto that server.

The sentence was announced today by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Brian G. Parr, Special Agent-in-Charge, United States Secret Service, New York Field Office.

Poo traveled to the United States on October 21, 2010, for the purpose of selling stolen credit card and bank card numbers but, unbeknownst to him, the purchaser was an undercover Special Agent of the United States Secret Service. At the time of his arrest, Poo possessed over 122,000 stolen bank card and credit card numbers in his heavily encrypted laptop computer and admitted that he “hack[ed] computers for money.” Poo’s computer also contained logs of “chats,” or online instant messaging communications, in which he discussed his business of obtaining and selling stolen bank account information to co-conspirators around the world, who would encode that information onto plastic cards for the purpose of making fraudulent ATM withdrawals and credit card purchases. Poo’s cybercrime activities also extended to the national security sector – in 2010, he hacked into the computer system of a Department of Defense contractor that provides systems management services for military transport and other military operations, potentially compromising highly sensitive military logistics information.

“Lin Mun Poo is responsible for victimizing public and private financial institutions here and around the world, as well as potentially endangering our national security infrastructure,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “Today’s sentence sends the message to hackers around the world that the United States is no place to conduct their business.” Ms. Lynch extended her grateful appreciation to the Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section and the Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division for their invaluable assistance in this case.

“The Secret Service has taken an aggressive stance in the investigation of computer intrusions and other cybercrimes,” said Secret Service Special Agent-in-Charge Parr. “The success of this investigation is a testament to the dedicated efforts of the Secret Service in pursuing cybercriminals, both within the U.S. and internationally.”

The government’s case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Cristina M. Posa and Melissa B. Marrus.

The Defendant:

LIN MUN POO
Age: 32

 

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