BlockBeats report, July 2: The U.S. Department of Justice announced that it has extradited 19-year-old Peter Stokes, a dual citizen of the United States and Estonia, from Finland. He is charged as a member of the hacking group Scattered Spider (also known as Octo Tempest, UNC3944, and 0ktapus). Prosecutors allege that the group was involved in over 100 cyber intrusions, collectively extorting more than $100 million in cryptocurrency and causing millions of dollars in business disruption, forensic investigation, and system recovery costs.
The indictment shows that Peter Stokes was arrested in Finland in April 2026 pursuant to an Interpol red notice, extradited to the United States last week, and made his initial court appearance in Chicago federal court on July 1, facing multiple charges including conspiracy, unauthorized access to computer systems, and fraud.
The prosecution also alleged that Peter Stokes participated in an attack on a luxury jewelry retailer in May 2025, stealing corporate data and demanding approximately $8 million in cryptocurrency ransom. The victim company did not pay the ransom but still suffered losses exceeding $2 million due to business disruption and system restoration costs.
The U.S. Department of Justice stated that this case is part of the FBI’s “Operation Riptide” initiative to combat cybercrime, reflecting ongoing international cooperation by law enforcement to crack down on ransomware and other cybercrimes facilitated by cryptocurrencies.