Former Assumption University student Matthew D. Lane, 20, of Sterling, has been sentenced to 4 years in prison after pleading guilty to cyber extortion conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.
According to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office, Lane allegedly victimized two cyber-based companies in 2024.
First, law enforcement claims that Lane illegally acquired customer data from a telecommunications company and threatened to publicly release the data if the company did not pay a $200,000 ransom.
Second, Lane allegedly stole data from a cloud storage company that held the personal information (including birthdates and social security numbers) of students and teachers throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Officials claim that Lane threatened to release the sensitive information unless the storage company paid him $2.85 billion in bitcoins.
The district attorney’s office did not release the names of the two compromised companies.
Lane pleaded guilty in June 2024.
His sentence, which was imposed last month, includes $14 million in restitution and forfeiture as well as $250,000 in fines.