Overview
- Feras Khalil Ahmad Albashiti entered the plea on January 19, 2026 before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton, New Jersey.
- He sold an undercover agent network access for at least 50 companies on May 19, 2023 in exchange for cryptocurrency, with $5,000 paid for the initial access package.
- The agent later paid $15,000 for EDR‑disabling malware, and Albashiti exposed his IP during a demonstration that investigators say links him to a ransomware incident with about $50 million in reported losses.
- Investigators tied the alias “r1z” to Albashiti through a 2016 U.S. visa application email address and a Google Pay account connected to credit cards in his name.
- Albashiti was extradited from Georgia in July 2024, faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss, and is charged under federal access‑device fraud statutes.