31-Year-Old Sentenced to 10 Years for Laundering Email Scams Amounting to $4.5 Million
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) has handed down a 10-year prison sentence to Malachi Mullings, a 31-year-old resident of Sandy Springs, Georgia. Mullings pleaded guilty to laundering over $4.5 million acquired through business email compromise (BEC) schemes and romance scams.
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Details of the Scheme
Court documents reveal that from 2019 to July 2021, Mullings established 20 bank accounts under a fictitious company, The Mullings Group LLC. These accounts facilitated the laundering of fraudulent proceeds. The scams targeted various entities, including a healthcare benefit program, private companies, and elderly individuals through romance fraud.
BEC scams are targeted cyber attacks where perpetrators deceive company executives and employees into transferring money or sensitive data to accounts controlled by the scammers. These attacks typically involve phishing emails sent from compromised accounts, requesting wire transfers or changes in banking details for future payments.
Criminal Activities and Luxury Purchases
Mullings and his accomplices conducted financial transactions to obscure the origin of the fraud proceeds, some of which were used to purchase luxury items such as expensive cars and jewelry. Among these purchases was a Ferrari, bought with $260,000 obtained from a romance scam.
Related Case
In a related development, the DoJ has indicted Evgeniy Doroshenko, a 31-year-old Russian citizen, for his role as an access broker. Between February 2019 and May 2024, Doroshenko allegedly infiltrated corporate networks and sold access to these networks on cybercrime forums. Known by various aliases including Eugene Doroshenko, FlankerWWH, and Flanker, he faces charges of wire fraud and fraud related to computer activities. If convicted, he could receive up to 25 years in prison and fines up to $250,000 for each charge.
Cybercrime forums, like the one Doroshenko used, facilitate a range of illegal activities, including computer hacking and trafficking in stolen data, according to the DoJ. Doroshenko remains at large.
