Phobos ransomware leader pleads guilty, faces up to 20 years in prison | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"The 43-year-old Russian national ran a ransomware operation that impacted more than 1,000 victims globally. The conspiracy netted more than $39 million in extortion payments.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/phobos-ransomware-leader-guilty\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Phobos ransomware leader pleads guilty, faces up to 20 years in prison\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The 43-year-old Russian national ran a ransomware operation that impacted more than 1,000 victims globally. 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class=\"skip-to-content-link visually-hidden-focusable\">Skip to main content<\/a> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-desktop\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <main id=\"main\" role=\"main\" tabindex=\"-1\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-mobile\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"stickybar\" class=\"stickybar stickybar--newsletter js-stickybar\" readability=\"0.82\"> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"26.033989266547\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"35.310502283105\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/phobos-ransomware-leader-guilty\/\"> <span>Ransomware<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> The 43-year-old Russian national ran a ransomware operation that impacted more than 1,000 victims globally. The conspiracy netted more than $39 million in extortion payments. <\/p>\n<p>  <br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/cyberscoop\/88062\/english.openai.mp3\"><\/audio> <\/p>\n<div readability=\"11\">\n<div>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p>0:00<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p> <span id=\"tts-tooltip\">Learn more.<\/span> <span> This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/phobos-ransomware-leader-pleads-guilty-faces-up-to-20-years-in-prison.jpg?resize=640%2C360&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt=\"A figure walking with a glowing trail of binary code emanating from a case, symbolizing stolen data. (Getty Images Plus)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/phobos-ransomware-leader-pleads-guilty-faces-up-to-20-years-in-prison-2.jpg 2309w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/phobos-ransomware-leader-pleads-guilty-faces-up-to-20-years-in-prison-2.jpg?resize=300,168 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/phobos-ransomware-leader-pleads-guilty-faces-up-to-20-years-in-prison-2.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/phobos-ransomware-leader-pleads-guilty-faces-up-to-20-years-in-prison-2.jpg?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/phobos-ransomware-leader-pleads-guilty-faces-up-to-20-years-in-prison-2.jpg?resize=1536,864 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/phobos-ransomware-leader-pleads-guilty-faces-up-to-20-years-in-prison-2.jpg?resize=2048,1152 2048w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/phobos-ransomware-leader-pleads-guilty-faces-up-to-20-years-in-prison-2.jpg?resize=600,337 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/phobos-ransomware-leader-pleads-guilty-faces-up-to-20-years-in-prison-2.jpg?resize=1200,675 1200w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/phobos-ransomware-leader-pleads-guilty-faces-up-to-20-years-in-prison-2.jpg?resize=1498,843 1498w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><figcaption> A figure walking with a glowing trail of binary code emanating from a case, symbolizing stolen data. (Getty Images Plus) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"33.289064707545\"><body readability=\"67.962054301603\"><\/p>\n<p>Russian national Evgenii Ptitsyn <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-md\/pr\/russian-ransomware-administrator-pleads-guilty-wire-fraud-conspiracy\">pleaded guilty<\/a> to running the Phobos ransomware outfit that extorted more than $39 million from more than 1,000 victims globally, the Justice Department said Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Ptitsyn assumed a leadership role in the Phobos ransomware group in January 2022, yet his criminal activities began by April 2019, according to court records. He continued leading the cybercrime syndicate until May 2024 when he was arrested in South Korea. Ptitsyn was <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/alleged-russian-phobos-ransomware-administrator-extradited-to-u-s-in-custody\/\">extradited to the United States<\/a> in November 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Federal prosecutors dropped multiple charges against Ptitsyn as part of a plea agreement he signed last month. He faces up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud conspiracy.<\/p>\n<p>Ptitsyn agreed to forfeit $1.77 million in assets and is required to pay at least $39.3 million in restitution, representing the full amount of his victims\u2019 losses.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The 43-year-old pleaded guilty to engaging in a global ransomware scheme with co-conspirators beginning in November 2020. Ptitsyn and alleged associates distributed Phobos ransomware to other co-conspirators who broke into victim networks, often with stolen credentials, to steal and encrypt data, which they used to extort victims for payment.<\/p>\n<p>Phobos ransomware administrators operated a site to coordinate the sale and distribution of Phobos ransomware to co-conspirators. Affiliates who successfully attacked victims with the ransomware paid $300 to administrators for a unique decryption key.<\/p>\n<p>Ptitsyn controlled multiple cryptocurrency wallets that received thousands of decryption key fees from affiliates who used Phobos to extort victims. He received 25% of the decryption key payment and sometimes received a portion of ransomware payments. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cPtitsyn and others were responsible for dozens of ransomware attacks against U.S. victims, including health care companies, hospitals, educational institutions, and providers of essential services,\u201d federal prosecutors said in a stipulation of facts in his plea agreement. <\/p>\n<p>Phobos ransomware victims paid a collective amount of $30 million in ransoms, based on the value at the time of payment, according to court records. Victims also suffered losses of at least $9.3 million from Phobos ransomware attacks, including a U.S. educational institution that reported losses exceeding $4 million. <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cPtitsyn and other members of the Phobos ransomware conspiracy launched ransomware attacks against more than 1,000 victims around the world, including at least 890 victims located in the United States,\u201d prosecutors said.<\/p>\n<p>Officials provided details about 15 unnamed U.S. victims that paid a combined $536,000 in ransoms at the time of payment. Victims included a Maryland-based company that provided accounting and consulting services to federal agencies, an Illinois-based contractor for the Departments of Defense and Energy, and a children\u2019s hospital in North Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>You can read the facts entered into court records as part of Ptitsyn\u2019s plea agreement below.<\/p>\n<p> <\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"3.7141372141372\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"14\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/phobos-ransomware-leader-pleads-guilty-faces-up-to-20-years-in-prison-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Matt Kapko\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Matt Kapko<\/h4>\n<p> Matt Kapko is a reporter at CyberScoop. His beat includes cybercrime, ransomware, software defects and vulnerability (mis)management. The lifelong Californian started his journalism career in 2001 with previous stops at Cybersecurity Dive, CIO, SDxCentral and RCR Wireless News. Matt has a degree in journalism and history from Humboldt State University. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"popular-stories popular-stories--single-post\">\n<div 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{"id":8404,"date":"2026-03-05T11:59:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T17:59:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=88062"},"modified":"2026-03-05T11:59:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T17:59:19","slug":"phobos-ransomware-leader-pleads-guilty-faces-up-to-20-years-in-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2026\/03\/05\/phobos-ransomware-leader-pleads-guilty-faces-up-to-20-years-in-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"Phobos ransomware leader pleads guilty, faces up to 20 years in prison"},"content":{"rendered":"