Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Tech CEO sentenced to 5 years in IP address scheme

krebsonsecurity.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

251–260 of 311 posts

Re: Tech CEO sentenced to 5 years in IP address scheme

#251

Post by lost_tourist »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #88
kstrauser wrote: post #9

The underlying crime was wire fraud, and it happened to be about acquiring IP addresses. He wasn’t prosecuted because he got too many, but for how he got them.

Wire fraud, wire fraud, it's nearly always wire fraud. Elizabeth Holmes, George Santos, Charlie Javice, all the people who got fake Covid funds - wire fraud, wire fraud, wire fraud. In this day and age if you're committing fraud it's pretty hard for it not to be wire fraud given how everything is transmitted digitally. And penalties for wire fraud are extremely steep (up 20 years for each charge), and it automaticall…

I wonder if it's ancient communications methods fraud if you do it by carrier pigeon...

Re: Tech CEO sentenced to 5 years in IP address scheme

#252

Post by lost_tourist »

Tabular-Iceberg wrote: post #247
zinclozenge wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some agencies, ones you might not even expect like the USPS and FDA, also have law enforcement powers, but have very narrow jurisdiction (relative to general law enforcement agencies like the FBI). So when a case actually does fall under their jurisdiction, they execute their duties "with extreme prejudice", so to speak. Assuming the story from the OP you replied to is true, the fact that they arrested the police off…

Still not as wild as the fact that while everyone was ridiculing Trump for instituting a space force, they have had a weather force, officially the "NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps", since 1917. But in all fairness, the distinctions are all pretty arbitrary, I'm sure people were laughing as much when the navy spun off their weather stuff and when the army spun off their flying stuff as they do now with the air force…

We laughed at it because it was the product of someone who isn't really known for original thoughts or consideration of complex concepts, so we all kind of assumed it was just a joke.

Re: Tech CEO sentenced to 5 years in IP address scheme

#253

Post by qingcharles »

donatj wrote: post #210
axus wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish the lesson were "If something might be criminal, check first and then don't do it". Makes you wonder if anyone has started an "AI-powered legal database miner as-a-service" for rent to zealous prosecutors.

Basically everything is criminal in the eyes of the right prosecutor. Narrowly avoiding their gaze is about all you can do.

Having been in the criminal justice system I tell people "don't do anything that might look criminal."

(and don't make enemies of police either, as they can easily set you up/charge you)

You can lose a whole decade of your life in jail waiting for a trial that never comes.

Source: experience.

Re: Tech CEO sentenced to 5 years in IP address scheme

#254

Post by newZWhoDis »

kstrauser wrote: post #118
tpmx wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If he had used e.g. the USPS mail service, would it then have been mail fraud instead? Similar sentencing?

Yes. Also, you do not want the Postal Inspectors showing up looking for you. Like, for real.

This hasn’t been my experience. Recently reported a large problematic activity involving hundreds of mailboxes. The post office told me to call the postal inspectors, and the postal inspectors said call my local office.

Idk where the “postal inspectors are bad ass” meme comes from online, but from my sample size they’re just as useless as any other government org.

Re: Tech CEO sentenced to 5 years in IP address scheme

#255

Post by moffkalast »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #88
kstrauser wrote: post #9

The underlying crime was wire fraud, and it happened to be about acquiring IP addresses. He wasn’t prosecuted because he got too many, but for how he got them.

Wire fraud, wire fraud, it's nearly always wire fraud. Elizabeth Holmes, George Santos, Charlie Javice, all the people who got fake Covid funds - wire fraud, wire fraud, wire fraud. In this day and age if you're committing fraud it's pretty hard for it not to be wire fraud given how everything is transmitted digitally. And penalties for wire fraud are extremely steep (up 20 years for each charge), and it automaticall…

Unless you do it over wifi, then it's technically wireless fraud.

Re: Tech CEO sentenced to 5 years in IP address scheme

#256

Post by qingcharles »

dhfbshfbu4u3 wrote: post #73

Case History: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/15573090/united-states-... The delays were partially due to COVID then later he was able to get it caught up with SCOTUS review of criteria for denaturalization. But geez his backstory is wild. Iranian born, escaped with parents to Dubai. Started his business in his bedroom at 16. Bought quite a rock for his sweetie back in 2012 ( https://youtu.be/FhPiC7zC7wA ). She…

Wow. I don't know what to say about that video.

I did a crazy stunt proposal, but it wasn't douchey like this. And no photos or video were taken.

Re: Tech CEO sentenced to 5 years in IP address scheme

#257

Post by tharkun__ »

zinclozenge wrote: post #184
squintychino wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Story time? What makes Postal Inspectors so feared.

Some agencies, ones you might not even expect like the USPS and FDA, also have law enforcement powers, but have very narrow jurisdiction (relative to general law enforcement agencies like the FBI). So when a case actually does fall under their jurisdiction, they execute their duties "with extreme prejudice", so to speak. Assuming the story from the OP you replied to is true, the fact that they arrested the police off…

This makes a lot of sense to me.

It's a psychological thing as far as I have been told. As in, the smaller the "amount" or "area" of power you give someone to enforce / defend the fiercer they will do so.

I saw this live once. A tiny office building's front entrance security guard. Had a sign in/out list for visitors. He was o the stereotypical leaned back in his chair, far away from the heightened desk type guy. Our visitor wanted to sign out. He knew the procedure from other days. The list sat behind the counter but in plain view. Our guest thought nothing of it so as he mentioned he'd leave and just sign out he grabbed the list from behind the counter. You should have seen how fast the security guy got up from his chair and started shouting at the guy what the... he was thinking just grabbing that list! He pulled the list back out of our visitors hands and then we heard a littany of other stuff. Until he finally let him actually sign out

I guess one can make use of this in some cases :)

Re: Tech CEO sentenced to 5 years in IP address scheme

#258

Post by qingcharles »

It's a federal case, so he'll have to do at least 85% of that 5 years in prison. Prison sucks horribly, even if you are in a camp like him. Especially if you are smart and techy.

They pushed him into a plea deal though. They were likely to mash all the charges consecutively and he'd be looking at 100 years like Ross Ulbricht if he lost at trial. I know people who have played that game and lost.

What is the deal with the notarized affidavits, though? Each of those is a federal offense which carries 5 years on its own, IIRC.

Re: Tech CEO sentenced to 5 years in IP address scheme

#259

Post by missedthecue »

newZWhoDis wrote: post #254
kstrauser wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Also, you do not want the Postal Inspectors showing up looking for you. Like, for real.

This hasn’t been my experience. Recently reported a large problematic activity involving hundreds of mailboxes. The post office told me to call the postal inspectors, and the postal inspectors said call my local office. Idk where the “postal inspectors are bad ass” meme comes from online, but from my sample size they’re just as useless as any other government org.

I was going to say the same thing. My passport was stolen from a mail truck a few years ago and the last update I got from the postal inspectors was that they gave up and told me I wasn't getting my parcel back, and that I should cut my losses. And that was only about 2 weeks after the theft occurred, although they did send me automated "we haven't made progress" emails every 6 months until the case was officially closed. Their "investigation" might as well have never happened.

For some reason, the internet thinks they are a group of James Bond secret agents. In my experience dealing with them, they are TSA level, totally indifferent schlubby federal workers waiting for their pension to vest.

Re: Tech CEO sentenced to 5 years in IP address scheme

#260

Post by saghm »

thomastjeffery wrote: post #160

> federal prosecutors in South Carolina, who in May 2019 filed criminal wire fraud charges against Golestan, alleging he’d orchestrated a network of shell companies and fake identities to prevent ARIN from knowing the addresses were all going to the same buyer. So the sentence is for the "Scheme", not the "IP Address". This is pretty unclear if you have only read the title.

Yeah, my initial reading of the headline was that they were being sentenced to be stuck in some IP address scheme for 5 years; I assumed it was a joke about a CEO making a mistake that locked the company into some suboptimal state.
Post reply on HN