Conspiring to delete databases used to store U.S. government information are the charges faced by two Virginia men who had served as federal contractors, federal banking regulators and prosecutors said Wednesday.
According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s (FDIC) Office of Inspector General (OIG), brothers Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter, both 34, of Alexandria, Virginia, were indicted Nov. 13. According to the OIG, following their employment termination, the pair allegedly sought to harm the company and its U.S. government customers by accessing computers without authorization, issuing commands to prevent others from modifying the databases before deletion, deleting databases, stealing information, and destroying evidence of their unlawful activities.
“The indictment alleges that on or about Feb. 18, Muneeb Akhter deleted approximately 96 databases storing U.S. government information,” the OIG said in a joint release with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). “Many of these databases contained records and documents related to Freedom of Information Act matters administered by federal government departments and agencies, as well as sensitive investigative files of federal government components.”
The release also included quotes from Lindsey Halligan, who was described as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. A federal judge recently ruled that Halligan is disqualified from serving in that office.
The inspector general also said the court documents further allege that approximately one minute after deleting a DHS database, Muneeb Akhter asked an artificial intelligence tool how to clear system logs following the deletion of databases. The indictment also alleges that the brothers discussed cleaning out their house in anticipation of a law enforcement search. The company laptops used by both men were wiped before being returned to the federal contractor, the OIG said.
Muneeb Akhter also, the OIG said, allegedly obtained information from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) without authorization after he was fired from the contractor. He is further alleged, the OIG said, to have stolen copies of IRS information stored on a virtual machine, including federal tax information and other identifying information of at least 450 individuals.
Sohaib Akhter is alleged to have trafficked in a password that could access a computer used by and for the government of the United States, the OIG said.
Muneeb Akhter is charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and to destroy records, two counts of computer fraud, theft of U.S. government records, and two counts of aggravated identity theft, the OIG said. Sohaib Akhter is charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and to destroy records and computer fraud (password trafficking), according to the OIG.
Two Virginia Men Arrested for Conspiring to Destroy Government Databases
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