Federal Law Enforcement Database Accessed in “Doxxing” Scheme
Two men pleaded guilty to hacking into a U.S. law enforcement database and then attempting to use the stolen information for extortion.
Sagar Steven Singh of Rhode Island pleaded guilty on June 17, 2024, at a federal court in Brooklyn, New York. A co-defendant, Nicholas Ceraolo of New York, pleaded guilty to the same offenses in May.
Prosecutors say Singh and Ceraolo belonged to “ViLE,” a criminal group that attempts to steal personal information online. The members then threaten to post that information on a public website unless the victim pays ransom. It’s an act known as “doxxing.”
“The defendants called themselves ‘ViLe,’ and their actions were exactly that,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace of the Eastern District of New York.
“The defendants, along with their co-conspirators, exploited vulnerabilities within government databases for their own personal gain. These guilty pleas send a strong message to those that would seek illicit access to protected computer systems," said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo.
Password Stolen
According to court documents, the suspects stole a password from a law enforcement officer and used it to access a non-public federal law enforcement portal. That portal contained information on narcotics and currency seizures, as well as other law enforcement intelligence reports.
Prosecutors say the duo stole a victim’s social security number, driver’s license number, home address, and other personal details. Singh allegedly threatened to harm the victim’s family unless the victim gave up credentials on their Instagram accounts.
Singh and Ceraolo also boasted that they had accessed a law enforcement portal and joked that they were “gonna get raided one of these days.”
Both suspects face between two and seven years in prison.
The HSI El Dorado Task Force, which fights money laundering and financial crime, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the New York Police Department assisted in the investigation.