Alleged Russian hacker from Bradford granted bail

Alleged Russian hacker Mikhail Vasiliev has been out on bail for more than a month as the U.S. Department of Justice seeks his extradition.

According to U.S. justice officials, Vasiliev is a Russian Canadian who is part of a global ransomware group called LockBit, which has been under investigation for nearly three years.

The LockBit group Vasiliev is accused of being associated with made at least $100 million in ransom demands and took tens of millions of dollars in ransom payments from at least 1,000 cyber attacks on victims in the U.S. and around the world.

Vasiliev, meanwhile, was charged in November after police raided his Bradford home. According to the Department of Justice, investigators found him sitting in the garage at a table with a laptop, which he was unable to lock before being placed under arrest.

Months earlier, the U.S. Department of Justice says Vasiliev's home was searched and found to have a file containing a list of alleged prospective or previous cybercrime victims.

Screenshots were also found tying him to LockBit with usernames and passwords belonging to employees of an alleged Canadian LockBit victim.

Vasiliev had been behind bars in Toronto since his arrest, accused of being an active hacker who held sensitive computer data hostage in exchange for millions of dollars in ransom payments from victims.

Along with the cybercrime charges, Vasiliev was also charged with possession of illegal firearms and ammo.

Provincial police say investigators arrested Vasiliev at his home in Bradford in late October and again November 9th, 2022.

U.S. officials say Vasiliev faces a maximum of five years in prison if convicted.

Investigators also claim to have found a Bitcoin wallet address in Vasiliev's home, allegedly tracing it back to a ransom payment made six hours before his arrest.

With his extradition hearing looming, Vasiliev remains out on bail requesting disclosure of his weapons charges. He's due back in court next month.