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A cyber-terrorist was sentenced to 6 years and 8 months imprisonment for ransomware extortion.
The defendant, Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins, pleaded guilty to five counts related to sophisticated cyber offences, including mischief to data, extortion, and participating in a criminal organization.
These activities resulted in millions of dollars in losses for 17 Canadian victims through NetWalker ransomware attacks.
The parties submitted a joint sentence proposal of 7 years imprisonment, partial restitution, and forfeiture of assets.
The court accepted the joint submission, imposing a total sentence of 6 years and 8 months after a four-month discount for the defendant's early guilty plea, extensive cooperation with authorities in identifying victims and the scope of his offending, and pre-sentence custody conditions.
Ancillary orders included a DNA order, specific restitution amounts to seven victims totaling over $2.8 million, and forfeiture of significant assets including Bitcoins, Monero, and over $1 million in cash.
The court granted the police's application to extend the detention of seized cash and digital devices for a complex international investigation.
This application concerned the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's request to extend the detention of items seized from the respondent's residence and bank safety deposit boxes under section 490(2) of the Criminal Code.
The seized items included significant amounts of cash and numerous digital devices.
The respondent opposed the extension, arguing a lack of specificity, necessity, and connection between the seized funds and the alleged crimes.
The court granted the application, finding the continued detention warranted given the complex nature of the international investigation and the estimated time required for digital forensic analysis and tracing of funds.
