Late last week, a complaint was filed in the Eastern District of Virginia against a Russian national who is a member of an organization aimed at disrupting the US political system. The 27-year-old director of Project Lakhta , Artem Mikhaylovich Lifshits, of St. Petersburg, Russia, is accused of conspiracy to defraud by using stolen U.S. citizen IDs to open “fraudulent” accounts at banks and cryptocurrency exchanges.
According to the complaint, Lifshits, 27, allegedly conspired with other members of Project Lakhta to obtain U.S. real-life identification, which the conspirators then used to open “fraudulent” bank and cryptocurrency exchange accounts in the victims’ names. In addition, Lifshits and the others involved in the fraud conspiracy appear to have used these accounts both to further Project Lakhta ’s influence activities and for personal financial gain.
Project Lakhta, based in Russia, was created to carry out political and electoral interference. Its members have previously been accused of conspiracies involving interference in the 2018 midterm elections, in which they used social media and email to create and amplify divisive social and political content targeting a U.S. audience.
According to a spokesperson for the US Department of Justice (DoJ), it is estimated that since May 2014, Project Lakhta's goal was to disrupt the US democratic process and spread distrust towards candidates and the country's political system in general
For the past six years, Project Lakhta has attempted to conceal its activities by operating through a number of entities, including the Internet (IRA). The Translators Department, where Lifshits has held a managerial role since January 2017, is said to be responsible for much of Project Lakhta’s influence activities. The U.S. Department of Justice has also stated that Project Lakhta’s efforts to exploit various conjunctures and events in America and turn citizens against the political system are still ongoing.
Additionally, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Lifshits and two other members of Project Lakhta for sanctions based on the malicious activity described in the complaint.
Artem Mikhaylovich Lifshits is another Russian national charged in the Eastern District of Virginia with conspiracy to defraud real persons and entities in the United States. US authorities will be conducting a thorough investigation into responsible cybercriminals located in Russia and other countries that serve as safe havens for this type of criminal activity.
