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"This hacking ring's widespread attacks on American companies caused serious harm and more than $300 million in losses to people and businesses in the United States," says Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell. "As law enforcement around the world responds to the cyber threat that affects us all, I am confident that this type of international cooperation that led to this result will be the new normal."
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“Defendants like Vladimir Drinkman, who have the skills to break into our computer networks and the inclination to do so, pose a cutting edge threat to our economic well-being, our privacy and our national security,” said U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman in a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice. “The crimes to which he admitted his guilt have a real, practical cost to our privacy and our pocketbooks. Today’s guilty plea is a tribute to the skill and perseverance of the agents and prosecutors who brought him to justice.”Drinkman could face up to 30 years in prison when he receives his sentence on January 15, 2016. However, he might receive a reduced sentence for having pleaded guilty. In the meantime, three of Drinkman's alleged co-conspirators remain at large. A fourth, Dmitriy Smilianets, 32, of Moscow, who allegedly sold the information stolen by Drinkman, remains in custody.