The U.S. Department of Justice has charged the leader of the LockBit ransomware gang and offered a $10 million reward for his capture

BlockBeats news, on May 8, the U.S. Department of Justice released a 26-count indictment accusing 31-year-old Russian citizen Dmitry Khoroshev of being the mastermind behind the notorious LockBit ransomware organization. Khoroshev is accused of developing and managing the LockBit software and recruiting "affiliates" on cybercrime forums to carry out ransomware attacks. Since its inception in 2019, LockBit has become one of the most rampant ransomware in the world, with about 2,500 victims, 1,800 of which are in the United States, and the ransom amount is estimated to be $500 million. The Department of Justice said Khoroshev profited $100 million in Bitcoin from it and has now been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). U.S. authorities have offered a $10 million reward for the capture of Khoroshev, who is still at large. He faces charges including conspiracy to commit fraud, extortion and other crimes, with a maximum sentence of 185 years in prison.