U.S. Attorney Dena J. King | U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney Dena J. King | U.S. Department of Justice
A Ukrainian national has been extradited to the United States from Germany to face federal charges in the Western District of North Carolina for his alleged involvement in an international "carding" scheme that netted over $1.8 million in fraudulent credit and debit card charges, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, joined U.S. Attorney King in making the announcement.
Viacheslav Alexandrovich Basovych, 49, of Ukraine, was arrested in Germany on December 19, 2023, and was extradited to the United States on August 8, 2024. Basovych is charged with wire fraud conspiracy, access device fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Charlotte following Basovych’s initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge W. Carleton Metcalf.
According to allegations in the indictment, from October 2013 to February 2022, Basovych conspired with others to engage in an international "carding" scheme. The term “carding” refers to various criminal activities associated with stealing personal identifiable information (PII) and financial information of victims—including information associated with credit cards, bank cards, debit cards or other access devices—and using that information to obtain money, goods or services without the victims’ authorization or consent.
The indictment alleges that Basovych and his co-conspirators obtained PII and payment card information of victims and used the stolen information to make unauthorized credit and debit card charges through merchant accounts associated with Basovych. The fraudulent charges ranged between $7 to $15 and were thus more likely to go unnoticed. It is alleged that Basovych and his co-conspirators caused over 148,000 fraudulent transactions totaling over $1.8 million in unauthorized charges. Additionally, it is alleged that over 5,100 fraudulent charges were made using payment cards of victims located in Charlotte. According to allegations in the indictment, Basovych and his co-conspirators used a network of money mules to launder criminal proceeds and evade detection.
“Greed knows no bounds but justice has no borders,” said U.S. Attorney King. “The charges announced today are the result of a coordinated effort with our law enforcement partners to identify and bring cyber criminals who exploit stolen identities and financial information for personal gain to justice.”
“The world today doesn’t permit us to physically lock our identities away in a safe," said Special Agent DeWitt."Unfortunately this vulnerability has given cyber criminals the opportunity to exploit stolen identities for profit."
Following his initial appearance, Basovych was remanded into federal custody.
The wire fraud conspiracy charge and conspiracy charge each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison while access device fraud carries a statutory maximum prison sentence of ten years.
The charges are allegations; defendants are innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt by law.
In making today's announcement U.S Attorney King commended FBI's Charlotte Field Office investigation leading up-to-charges; thanked INTERPOL Offices Wiesbaden-Germany/Washington-DC substantial assistance securing-Basovych arrest/extradition also Department Justice’s Office International Affairs
Assistant US Attorney Graham Billings prosecuting case
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