Virginia man found guilty of deleting 96 government databases

A Virginia man was convicted on federal charges Thursday after a jury found him guilty of deleting 96 government databases and stealing an individual’s password, leading their email account to be accessed without permission.

Sohaib Akhter, 34, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, password trafficking and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, according to the Department of Justice.

Akhter allegedly began his crime spree by providing his twin brother Muneem — who also worked at the same unnamed company hosting government agencies’ data — with the password of someone who filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). 

The complainant’s email account was then accessed without their consent, according to a Department of Justice press release.

Shortly after the incident, Akhter’s employer learned that he had previously been convicted of felonies and fired him and his brother, the press release said. 

The government said that after the firings, the brothers “sought to harm their employer and its U.S. government customers by accessing computers without authorization, write-protecting databases, deleting databases and destroying evidence of their unlawful activities.”

Although their employer is not named in the indictments, prosecutors said it is based in Washington, D.C., and provides software services to more than 45 U.S. federal agencies including the EEOC.

Akhter’s sentencing date is September 9 and he faces up to 21 years in prison.

In 2015, he pled guilty to federal charges that included conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to access a protected computer without authorization and conspiracy to access a government computer without authorization. He spent two years in prison.