WASHINGTON – On June 24, 2021, a team of U.S. Secret Service employees was recognized with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Director’s Award for investigative work and successful prosecution of cybercriminal Ghaleb Alaumary and his co-conspirators. The team was nominated and awarded within the Cyber Threat award category.
The prestigious award recognizes the hard work of Secret Service investigators and analysts and our law enforcement partners who specialize in third party money launderers, transnational organized crime and cyber threats.
“The success in this case demonstrates the investigative capabilities of the Secret Service and the collaborative efforts of our law enforcement partners,” said Assistant Director Jeremy Sheridan, U.S. Secret Service - Office of Investigations. “The Secret Service thanks FinCEN for recognizing the diligent and dedicated work of this team and will continue to develop innovative ways to protect the financial infrastructure of the United States.”
In November 2017, the U.S. Secret Service, Savannah Resident Office started an investigation into an international criminal organization conducting account takeovers, romance schemes, business email compromises, and ATM cash out schemes around the globe.
Through the investigation with FinCEN, investigators assessed that Alaumary was responsible for at least 50% of wire-related fraud that occurs in the US and Canada. He worked with global cyber actors and networks to defraud victims worldwide and launder funds through cryptocurrency and hawalas. Alaumary was known and or alleged to have engaged in financial crimes with attempted amounts in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
In May 2019, Alaumary was indicted for his role in the 2017 account takeovers. The Secret Service was able to analyze Alaumary’s criminal activity and behavior, and in October 2019, the Secret Service arrested Alaumary as he arrived at Hartsfield International airport.
The Secret Service received assistance from agencies around the world, to include FinCEN, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Estonian National Police, the Department of Justice and the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. This case has garnered local and national media attention due to the significant impact that these types of cyber-crimes have on the nation’s financial infrastructure and the effect these types of schemes have on victims worldwide.
Ghaleb Alaumary pleaded guilty to all federal charges in the Southern District of Georgia and is awaiting sentencing.