Karakurt extortion gang ‘cold case’ negotiator gets 8.5 years in prison

Deniss Zolotarjovs, a member of the Karakurt ransomware extortion group, was arrested, extradited to the U.S., pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 8.5 years for his role as a "cold case" negotiator who coerced dozens of victim organizations (Aug 2021–Nov 2023) using stolen personal and health data; the DOJ links him to at least 54 attacked companies with known losses exceeding $56M for 13 victims plus $13M in ransom payments from 41 additional victims, and he is the first Karakurt member sentenced in the U.S., potentially enabling further prosecutions.