A Swedish prosecutor has announced new hacking related charges against Pirate Bay co-founder Gottfrid Svartholm. Together with three others he is suspected of hacking several companies including a bank, from where the defendants allegedly attempted to transfer money. The new changes will most likely mean that Svartholm will remain in prison when his Pirate Bay sentence concludes next month.
In late August 2012, Pirate Bay co-founder Gottfrid Svartholm was deported from Cambodia to Sweden.
Initially it was thought that Gottfrid had been taken to serve the prison time he was handed for his involvement in The Pirate Bay, but quickly it become clear the authorities also had other things on their minds.
Once he landed in Sweden the authorities claimed Gottfrid had been involved in several instances of hacking, and today prosecutor Henry Olin of the International Public Prosecution Office in Stockholm announced several charges against the Pirate Bay co-founder.
Svartholm has been charged with several hacking related offenses including serious fraud, attempted aggravated fraud, and aiding attempted aggravated fraud. Three other defendants received similar charges.
“The data breaches involve very large amounts of data from companies and governments, including extensive personal data such as social security numbers and private details,”commented prosecutor Henry Olin.
The prosecution office further explains that among other offenses, the defendants hacked the Nordea Bank in an attempt to carry out unauthorized transactions.
According to the indictment, Svartholm tried to transfer 5.7 million Swedish kronor ($900,000) to various accounts, but only 27,000 Kronor belonging to a Danish trade union was effectively transferred out.
“Offenses of fraud and attempted fraud are worsened when preceded by sophisticated hacking, were systematic, were intended to have significant cost and impact on public confidence in the payment system and were of a particularly dangerous nature,” the prosecution writes in the indictment.
Evidence of the crimes was obtained through a seized computer and logs of chats between Svartholm and one of the other defendants.
A trial is currently scheduled to take place late May. Svartholm will have completed his Pirate Bay sentence by that time but with the new charges filed against him it is unlikely that he will be released.
“There is a risk that Gottfrid Svartholm Warg will flee or otherwise evade prosecution or punishment,” the prosecutor warns in the indictment.
