{
	"id": "80069f8c-6fde-48d9-829f-7572d6f6f5cb",
	"created_at": "2026-04-06T00:08:20.906708Z",
	"updated_at": "2026-04-10T13:11:45.206753Z",
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	"title": "NetWalker ransomware affiliate sentenced to seven years in prison",
	"llm_title": "",
	"authors": "",
	"file_creation_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
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	"plain_text": "NetWalker ransomware affiliate sentenced to seven years in prison\r\nBy Catalin Cimpanu\r\nPublished: 2023-01-17 · Archived: 2026-04-05 18:17:50 UTC\r\nA Canadian man who worked as an \"affiliate\" for the NetWalker ransomware gang was sentenced last week to\r\nseven years in prison for his crimes.\r\nThe suspect, Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins, pleaded guilty in front of a judge after he was arrested by Canadian\r\npolice in January 2021 as part of an international law enforcement crackdown against NetWalker, one of the most\r\nactive ransomware operations at the time.\r\nIn a court document released on Monday, the judge said Vachon-Desjardins \"pleaded guilty at the earliest possible\r\npoint in time\" and spared authorities years of investigation into his crimes and collaboration with the NetWalker\r\ngang.\r\nThis collaboration involved breaching companies and deploying ransomware but also training other criminals on\r\nhow to carry out attacks.\r\nSuspect made 2,000 BTC from ransomware attacks\r\nThe judge said that during a period of nine months between May 2020 and January 2021, Vachon-Desjardins\r\nbreached companies all over the world and made more than 2,000 Bitcoin from his attacks and subsequent ransom\r\ndemands.\r\nOf these, the suspect kept 1,200 Bitcoin, while the rest was forwarded to the creators of the NetWalker\r\nransomware.\r\nWhen Canadian searched his home following a tip from the FBI, they seized less than 720 Bitcoins of these along\r\nwith \"bags of money ranging from CAD$100,000 to CAD$150,000\" that came from laundering previous Bitcoin\r\nfunds.\r\nIn total, authorities said they seized CAD$640,040 in cash and another CAD$420,941 from his bank accounts.\r\nTogether with the Bitcoin funds, authorities said the suspect made more than CAD$30 million from his\r\nransomware activity.\r\nIn addition to money, the judge said investigators also found more than 20 Tb of data on his devices that he stole\r\nfrom the hacked organizations, before deploying the ransomware.\r\n\"I was told that the data seized from the Defendant, if printed, would fill an entire hockey arena,\" Justice G. Paul\r\nRenwick said in the sentencing document.\r\nEight victims to receive restitution\r\nhttps://therecord.media/netwalker-ransomware-affiliate-sentenced-to-seven-years-in-prison/\r\nPage 1 of 3\n\nWhile Vachon-Desjardins caused damage to companies worldwide, he was charged for his crimes in Canada,\r\nwhere he infected 17 victims and caused losses of at least CAD$2.8 million.\r\nOf these, the judge ordered restitutions be paid to eight victims, including:\r\nCegep St. Felicien - $999,239;\r\nElite Group (Continental Casualty Company) - $725,963.52;\r\nEndoceutics Inc. - $72,503.43;\r\nEnterprise Robert Thibert Inc. - $289,472.00;\r\nTravelers Ins. Co. of Canada - $417,449.00;\r\nRobson Carpenter LLP - $2,500;\r\nVille de Montmagny - $206,737;\r\nWindward Software Systems Inc. - $91,966.02.\r\nWhile the suspect was detained at the request of US officials, he was trialed in Canada because Vachon-Desjardins\r\nwas already under investigation in a drug trafficking case.\r\nJust a week before his sentencing for the ransomware charges, Vachon-Desjardins was also sentenced to 4.5 years\r\nin prison in that case. That marked his second drug trafficking conviction after receiving 3.5 years imprisonment\r\nin a 2015 case.\r\nPrior to his involvement with the NetWalker gang, the suspect also worked in the IT field for the Canadian\r\ngovernment for over four years.\r\nNo previous article\r\nNo new articles\r\nhttps://therecord.media/netwalker-ransomware-affiliate-sentenced-to-seven-years-in-prison/\r\nPage 2 of 3\n\nCatalin Cimpanu\r\nis a cybersecurity reporter who previously worked at ZDNet and Bleeping Computer, where he became a well-known name in the industry for his constant scoops on new vulnerabilities, cyberattacks, and law enforcement\r\nactions against hackers.\r\nSource: https://therecord.media/netwalker-ransomware-affiliate-sentenced-to-seven-years-in-prison/\r\nhttps://therecord.media/netwalker-ransomware-affiliate-sentenced-to-seven-years-in-prison/\r\nPage 3 of 3",
	"extraction_quality": 1,
	"language": "EN",
	"sources": [
		"ETDA"
	],
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	],
	"references": [
		"https://therecord.media/netwalker-ransomware-affiliate-sentenced-to-seven-years-in-prison/"
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