The US Justice Department says Iranian national Sina Gholinejad's ransomware crimes lasted several years.
The US Justice Department says Iranian national Sina Gholinejad's ransomware crimes lasted several years.
The US Justice Department says Iranian national Sina Gholinejad's ransomware crimes lasted several years.
The US Justice Department says Iranian national Sina Gholinejad's ransomware crimes lasted several years.

Robbinhood ransomware: Iranian man pleads guilty to cyber crime that cost US government millions


Cody Combs
  • English
  • Arabic

An Iranian man has pleaded guilty to using Robbinhood ransomware to extort millions from governments and organisations in the US.

Sina Gholinejad, 37, admitted computer fraud and abuse and conspiracy to commit wire fraud during a hearing in a North Carolina court.

Ransomware is a type of malware designed to deny users, businesses or organisations access to their data stored on computers or servers. In a ransomware attack, data is often encrypted, and criminals demand payment for the decryption key.

A warrant was issued for Sina Gholinejad in 2024, and he was arrested almost one year later in North Carolina.
A warrant was issued for Sina Gholinejad in 2024, and he was arrested almost one year later in North Carolina.

Gholinejad could face as much as 30 years in prison.

“Gholinejad and his co-conspirators — all of whom were overseas — caused tens of millions of dollars in losses and disrupted essential public services by deploying the Robbinhood ransomware against US cities, healthcare organisations and businesses,” said Matthew Galeotti, head of the US Justice Department’s criminal division.

Prosecutors said that after Gholinejad and his co-conspirators would lock access to victims' files and hardware, they would often extort payments in the Bitcoin and then launder that money through cryptocurrency mixing services.

The Justice Department said in 2019 that the government of Maryland's capital Baltimore was left reeling for months due to ransomware used by Gholinejad. It ultimately lost more than $19 million from the damage to the city's computer networks “and the resulting disruption to several essential city services, including online services for processing property taxes, water bills, parking citations and other revenue-generating functions”.

The indictment said that Gholinejad’s ransomware attacks began and 2019, and lasted until early 2025.

Although he is unlikely to face the maximum penalty, the US Justice Department says Sina Gholinejad could face up to 30 years in prison.
Although he is unlikely to face the maximum penalty, the US Justice Department says Sina Gholinejad could face up to 30 years in prison.

Although many of the court documents surrounding the investigation of his crimes remain sealed, several that have been opened show that an arrest warrant was issued for Gholinejad in 2024, and that he was apprehended in North Carolina this year.

Gholinejad is scheduled to be sentenced in August.

According to a new data breach report from Verizon, there has been a significant growth in threats from ransomware in recent years.

There is a silver lining, however: the median amount paid to ransomware groups decreased to about $115,000, compared to $150,000 in the year before.

Another bright spot, according to the report, was that 64 per cent of ransomware victims did not pay the ransom.

Forty-four per cent of ransomware victims, according to Verizon, were local US governments, but similar bodies and municipalities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa have been affected.

Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

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Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

If you go

The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.

The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.

Afghanistan fixtures
  • v Australia, today
  • v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
  • v New Zealand, Saturday,
  • v South Africa, June 15
  • v England, June 18
  • v India, June 22
  • v Bangladesh, June 24
  • v Pakistan, June 29
  • v West Indies, July 4
A%20MAN%20FROM%20MOTIHARI
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdullah%20Khan%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPenguin%20Random%20House%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E304%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

Tour de France 2017: Stage 5

Vittel - La Planche de Belles Filles, 160.5km

It is a shorter stage, but one that will lead to a brutal uphill finish. This is the third visit in six editions since it was introduced to the race in 2012. Reigning champion Chris Froome won that race.

Updated: May 28, 2025, 7:50 AM