Failed Tesla hack ends in Russian's expulsion
RENO, Nev. — A Russian man was sentenced Monday to what amounted to time already served and will be deported after pleading guilty to trying to pay a Tesla employee $500,000 to install computer malware at the company’s Nevada electric battery plant in a bid to steal company secrets for ransom.
Egor Igorevich Kriuchkov, appearing by videoconference from jail, apologized after U.S. District Judge Miranda Du in Reno acknowledged the attempted hack was not successful and the company network was not compromised.
“I’m sorry for my decision. I regret it,” the 27-year-old Kriuchkov said through a Russian-language court interpreter.
Chris Frey, his court-appointed attorney, said Kriuchkov speaks fluent English, but the judge provided the interpreter anyway.
Kriuchkov said the nine months he has been in U.S. custody made him reflect on the pain he caused his family in Russia and the damage caused to his reputation. Several family members sent email messages to the judge seeking leniency.
“I understand it was a bad decision,” said Kriuchkov, who could have faced up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The judge, who agreed not to use the company name in court, went along with a plea agreement reached between prosecutors and Kriuchkov.
He was sentenced to 10 months in custody for his guilty plea in March in a conspiracy to intentionally cause damage to a protected computer; to pay about $14,825 in restitution for company time investigating the attempted intrusion and turning the case over to the FBI; and three years of federal supervision if he remains in the U.S. or returns from abroad. He will remain in custody until he leaves the country.
