Prosecutor: Russian man's computer linked to hacking scheme targeting Washington restaurants

SEATTLE (AP) — A federal prosecutor told the jury during opening statements that when a Russian man was arrested in the Maldives in 2014, federal agents found 1.7 million stolen credit card numbers on his laptop computer.


Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Wilkinson said Monday that investigations by U.S. Secret Service agents made the connection between hacks into the computers of Washington state restaurants and stolen credit card numbers that were then sold on special websites.

And those investigators found Roman Seleznev's digital fingerprints on the computers involved in the hacking scheme and the websites that sold the stolen credit cards.

Wilkinson said the evidence presented during the two-week trial will prove Seleznev is guilty.

Seleznev's lawyer, John Henry Browne, said he will decide by Tuesday morning whether he will make an opening statement.

Browne plans to argue that prosecutors have failed to adequately connect Seleznev with the computer hacks that hit more than 200 businesses over several years.