Leader of world's 'most prolific ransomware group' charged in Lockbit case — $10 million reward for his arrest

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday announced criminal charges against a Russian national, Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev, for allegedly creating, developing and administrating the LockBit ransomware-as-a-service group.

The U.S. State Department at the same time offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the apprehension and arrest of Khoroshev, a 31-year-old from Voronezh, Russia.

The Treasury Department also imposed sanctions on Khoroshev, blocking all property and interests he holds in the U.S. or are in the possession of Americans.

The Department of Justice said the LockBit group led by Khoroshev at times was "the most prolific ransomware group in the world," targeting more than 2,000 victims, most of them in the U.S., stealing more than $500 million in ransomware payments, and causing billions of dollars more in broader losses including lost revenue.

LockBit's ransomware-as-a-service model licensed its software to other cybercriminals in exchange for payments that included a percentage of ransoms paid by victims, which included "individuals, small businesses, multinational corporations, hospitals, schools, nonprofit organizations, critical infrastructure, and government and law-enforcement agencies," according to the DOJ.

Khoroshev, who also is known as LockBitSupp, LockBit and putinkrab, was charged in a 26-count indictment in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, which accuses him of personally pocketing at least $100 million from victims of the group. He typically received 20% of each ransom payment, authorities said.

The charges, unsealed Tuesday, come three months after law enforcement in the U.K., working with the DOJ, FBI and other international agencies, seized public websites used by LockBit, and seized control