(WNY News Now) – ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A Rochester man has been sentenced to two years in prison for purchasing stolen data through an illicit online marketplace, federal prosecutors announced.
Brandon Hall, 23, was convicted of possessing 15 or more unauthorized access devices with intent to defraud. U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. sentenced him to serve 24 months in federal prison.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, Hall accessed Genesis Market, a darknet platform selling stolen personal data harvested from malware-infected computers worldwide. The market facilitated transactions through virtual currencies, including bitcoin.
Between November 2019 and February 2021, Hall deposited approximately $224.50 in bitcoin into a Genesis Market account he created. He funded these transactions using a Coinbase account and used the funds to buy 12 data packages containing roughly 1,146 unauthorized access devices.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, led by Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, and the Rochester Police Department, under Chief David Smith.
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