Russian Extradited to U.S. Pleads Not Guilty on Hacking Charges

    A suspected Russian hacker who was extradited to the United States from the Czech Republic has pleaded not guilty to hacking computers at LinkedIn, Dropbox and other American companies, The Associated Press reported.

    YevgeniyNikulin pleaded not guilty to computer intrusion, aggravated identity theft and other charges in federal court in San Francisco on Friday.

    The 30-year-old was extradited from Prague on Friday, 15 months after his arrest in the Czech Republic.
    Prosecutors say Nikulin penetrated the computers of Silicon Valley firms in 2012 and potentially gained access to the personal information of millions of Americans.

    U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions says in a news release that “this is deeply troubling behavior once again emanating from Russia.”

    He says “computer hacking is “a direct threat to the security and privacy of Americans” and that the U.S. won’t tolerate it.

    Prosecutors say Nikulin penetrated the computers of Silicon Valley firms in 2012 and potentially gained access to the personal information of millions of Americans.

    Nikulin’sdefense attorney has said his case is politically motivated in the U.S.

    Czech Justice Minister Robert Pelikan’s decision to send Nikulin to the U.S. was announced just minutes after the country’s Constitutional Court released a statement that it rejected a last-minute appeal from the Nikulin as “groundless.”

    Earlier this week, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said in Prague that under Czech extradition law “we have every reason to believe and expect that Nikulin will be extradited to America.”

    But the Czech Republic’s pro-Russia president, Milos Zeman, repeatedly asked Pelikan to allow Nikulin’s extradition to Russia, the minister said. Zeman has no official say in cases like this one.

    Pelikan’s decision will likely further strain relations between the Czech Republic and Russia after the Czechs expelled three Russian diplomats in solidarity with Britain over a nerve agent attack on an ex-spy.

    In a statement published by Russia’s RIA news agency, the Russian Embassy in Prague called the step “deeply disappointing.”

    “Prague once again preferred the notorious allied solidarity without taking into account all the factors and circumstances of this case,” Alexei Kolmakov, the embassy’s press secretary, was quoted as saying.