GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – An Iranian man pleaded guilty today to participating in an international ransomware and extortion scheme that shut down Greenville’s computer system.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Sina Gholinejad was part of a conspiracy involving the Robbinhood ransomware.
Most City Hall computers in Greenville were offline after the April 2019 attack.
The same attack hit Baltimore, Maryland, Yonkers, New York, Gresham, Oregon, as well as other locations.
The feds say the cities ended up with tens of millions of dollars in losses.
Greenville said their systems were completely offline for a day or two, but the ransomware impact was felt for months.
Gholinejad pleaded guilty to one count of computer fraud and abuse and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison when sentenced later this year.
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