Texas officials seize $2.8 million in code over suspected ransomware operator

Texas officials have filed a suspected ransomware operator and seized more than $2.8 million in cryptocurrency from digital wallets.

The attack was part of six federal warrants not sealed Wednesday in courts in Virginia, California and Texas. Authorities also confiscated $70,000 in cash and a luxury vehicle.

Wallet controller Ianis Aleksandrovich Antropenko faces accusations of conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse, computer fraud and abuse, and money laundering.

Prosecutors say Antropenko will deploy Zeppelin ransomware to attack individuals, businesses and organizations around the world, encrypt, steal data, and request it to be decrypted, withheld and deleted.

Cybercrime and code

The case highlights that law enforcement focuses on dismantling ransomware operations and regaining illegal profits. This has also been seen raids to seize domains and infrastructure related to cybercrime group Royal and vendors of LUMMAC2.

According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, cybercrime losses in the United States reached $16.6 billion in 2024. The FBI reported that nearly 150,000 complaints in 2024 were related to digital assets, with associated losses of $9.3 billion, a 66% jump from the previous year.

Prosecutors argue that funding from the latest attacks comes from ransomware activities washed through services such as Chipmixer, which was closed in international operations in 2023.

The Department of Justice’s Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) said it has secured more than 180 cybercrime convictions and recovered $350 million for previous victims.

Officials say their work has disrupted ransomware groups and prevented more than $200 million in potential ransom payments.