Indictment of Twin Brothers
Federal prosecutors have announced that twin brothers residing in Alexandria, Virginia, are facing indictment for allegedly conspiring to destroy government data managed by a federal contractor.
The Justice Department revealed on Wednesday that Sohaib and Muneeb Akhter, both 34 years old, were terminated by a contractor earlier this year. In response, they reportedly sought revenge against the company and the government by attempting to delete critical databases.
On February 18, Muneeb Akhter is accused of deleting approximately 96 databases containing sensitive federal information, including details related to ongoing investigations and the Freedom of Information Act.
Additionally, prosecutors allege that Muneeb unlawfully accessed information from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Internal Revenue Service following his dismissal from the contracting firm.
The brothers have a prior criminal record; in 2015, they were sentenced to three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges involving wire fraud and unauthorized access to protected computers.
The contractor involved in this case is identified as Opexus. The twins’ previous criminal history came to light when the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation conducted a background check on Sohaib Akhter, leading Opexus to terminate their employment.
An independent investigation indicated that Muneeb accessed and deleted databases during a virtual human resources meeting on February 18 when both brothers were let go. He is also accused of stealing over 1,800 files related to an unspecified project shortly after the meeting concluded.
Following their termination, Sohaib Akhter sent an email to several federal employees associated with Opexus. In it, he claimed that the company employed individuals without proper clearance for handling sensitive data and warned about security vulnerabilities within their systems.
The Justice Department has also charged Sohaib with trafficking a password that could grant access to government computers used for official purposes.
Muneeb Akhtar faces multiple charges including two counts of computer fraud, theft of U.S. government records, conspiracy related to computer fraud and destruction of records, as well as two counts of aggravated identity theft. If found guilty, he could face up to 45 years in prison for these offenses along with additional time for identity theft charges.
Sohaib Akhtar is charged with conspiracy related to computer fraud and destruction of records alongside password trafficking allegations. He faces a potential sentence of up to six years if convicted.
