Arrested Russian’s wife denies US charge

ST PETERSBURG, Russia: The wife of an alleged Russian hacker facing extradition from Spain to the United States has told Reuters he is being held in solitary confinement and that he denies the accusation that he masterminded one of the world’s biggest spam networks.

Peter Levashov was arrested while on holiday in Barcelona in April, and US prosecutors later charged him with hacking offences, saying he had operated a network of tens of thousands of infected computers used by cyber criminals. The prosecutors are seeking a 52-year jail sentence, according to extradition documents seen by Reuters, and a hearing in the case is expected in Madrid on Wednesday.

Levashov, who has long been considered the likely identity of an online persona known as Peter Severa, spent years listed among the world’s 10 most prolific spammers, according to spam-tracking group Spamhaus.

His case provides a rare insight into US efforts to track down and prosecute international cyber criminals. It comes at a time when Russian hackers are under intense scrutiny after US intelligence officials accused Moscow of hacking last year’s US presidential election in Donald Trump’s favour, something Russia denies.