British man charged by US with leading hacking scheme and causing millions in damages

A British man has been charged in the US with allegedly leading a global hacking scheme which caused millions of pounds in damages.

Kai West, 25, who operated under the online identity IntelBroker, was arrested in France in February.

The US is seeking his extradition over allegations he stole and sold data. He faces up to 20 years in jail if found guilty.

“West, and his online co-conspirators, took that stolen data, and offered it for sale online for more than $2 million,” according to an indictment by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

West faces charges of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and wire fraud, accessing a protected computer to obtain information and wire fraud, according to the indictment.

According to the FBI assistant director in charge, Christopher G Raia, the “years-long” scheme had caused victims losses of at least 25 million dollars (£18.2m) worldwide.

A telecommunications company, a municipal healthcare provider and an internet service provider were among more than 40 victims listed in the indictment.

“The IntelBroker alias has caused millions in damages to victims around the world,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.

“This action reflects the FBI’s commitment to pursuing cybercriminals around the world.

“New Yorkers are all too often the victims of intentional cyber schemes and our office is committed to bringing these remote actors to justice.”

Mr Clayton thanked British, French, Spanish and Dutch authorities for their assistance in the investigation.