Rochester man pleads guilty to purchases made on illicit online marketplace

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Brandon Hall, 23, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. to possessing 15 or more unauthorized access devices with intent to defraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who is handling the case, stated that since August 2018, the FBI has been investigating an illicit online marketplace known as Genesis Market, whose operators compile stolen data, such as computer and mobile device identifiers, email addresses, usernames, and passwords, from malware-infected computers around the globe and package it for sale on the market. Purchases made through Genesis Market are conducted using virtual currency, such as bitcoin.

Between November 2019, and February 2021, Hall deposited approximately $224.50 worth of bitcoin in a Genesis account that he had created, using an account he maintained at Coinbase to fund these transactions. Hall used the funds he deposited in his Genesis account to 12 packages containing approximately 1,146 unauthorized access devices.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 16, 2024, before Judge Geraci.