Sergei Filimonov Pleads Not Guilty in 5,000-Victim Bank Fraud Case After Extradition
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 9
Sergei Filimonov Pleads Not Guilty in 5,000-Victim Bank Fraud Case After Extradition
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 9
Summary
Sergei Anatolyevich Filimonov, 36, pleaded not guilty in federal court in Georgia after being extradited from the republic of Georgia to face bank fraud, wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft charges.
Prosecutors say he helped run a credential-harvesting scheme from November 2023 to October 2025, using fake bank-lookalike domains and sponsored search links to capture customers' login details.
More than 5,000 people had bank information stolen, including customers at two Georgia banks, and the stolen credentials were allegedly used to move money out of real accounts by wire transfer.
If convicted on all counts, Filimonov faces at least 2 years in prison and up to 175 years, as the FBI says bank-account-takeover complaints since January 2025 have topped $262 million in reported losses.