Roman Seleznev received two concurrent 168-month federal prison sentences—14 years total—in November 2017. One sentence was for racketeering in Nevada; the other was for conspiracy to commit bank fraud in Georgia. The headline’s $50 million refers to the cyberfraud ring, not the separate bank-fraud scheme or either case’s exact restitution order.
What did the 14-year sentence cover?
On November 30, 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Seleznev had received a 168-month sentence in each of two federal cases. The terms were ordered to run concurrently, meaning they overlapped rather than adding up to 28 years. He also received concurrent three-year terms of supervised release.
| Case | Charge described by DOJ | Sentence | Restitution |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Nevada | Racketeering participation | 168 months, concurrent | $50,893,166.35 |
| Northern District of Georgia | Conspiracy to commit bank fraud | 168 months, concurrent | $2,178,349 |
The sentence terms and restitution figures were reported by the Department of Justice in 2017. The restitution orders are distinct from the rounded $50 million description of the cyberfraud ring.
What was the cyberfraud ring?
According to the DOJ’s August 25, 2016 conviction announcement, a federal jury found Seleznev guilty on 38 counts involving the hacking of point-of-sale computers to steal payment-card numbers and sell them. Point-of-sale systems are the computers businesses use to process purchases.
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The cyberfraud-ring case was not the only matter reflected in the 2017 sentence: DOJ said Seleznev pleaded guilty to the Nevada racketeering and Georgia bank-fraud charges on September 7, 2017. These case-specific figures describe the prosecutions; they are not estimates of cybercrime losses generally.
Why are there separate restitution amounts?
The two restitution orders belong to separate federal cases and should be read separately: $50,893,166.35 in the Nevada racketeering case and $2,178,349 in the Georgia bank-fraud case. The DOJ sentencing announcement reports both amounts. The $50 million wording in the headline is a rounded description of the cyberfraud ring, not the exact restitution total for either case.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is Roman Seleznev still in prison?
Reuters identified Seleznev among those released by the United States in the multinational prisoner exchange on August 1, 2024. That release is a later development than the 2017 sentencing; the 14-year sentence should not be presented as his current custody status. Reuters’ contemporaneous account was republished by Investing.com. The cited reporting establishes his release in that exchange, not developments after it.
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