Evergreen Reporter

Cameron Curry, a 25-year-old resident of Raleigh, North Carolina, has pleaded guilty to extorting his former employer, a Washington D.C.-based company. U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division announced the plea.

Curry admitted to stealing sensitive data from his prior employer and threatening to publish it unless he was paid $2.5 million. He pleaded guilty to one count of felony extortion for making an interstate threat to injure property or reputation for monetary gain before U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb. His sentencing is scheduled for January 28, 2025.

Court documents reveal that Curry worked as a contract employee with the company until December 15, 2023. On December 11, under the pseudonym "Loot," he began sending emails threatening to release sensitive financial records and personally identifiable information of the company's employees unless he was paid $2.5 million. In one email, Curry wrote: "If you wish to reclaim your data, we recommend doing so promptly at 2.5 million USD in order to save your company and stocks, as each subsequent month will incur a $100,000 USD increase." From December 11 to January 23, Curry sent over 60 such emails.

Law enforcement identified Curry as "Loot" through metadata in his communications, user information from the email address used for threats, and account details of the cryptocurrency wallet where he directed the ransom payment.

On January 24, when the FBI attempted to execute a search warrant at Curry's residence, he refused to leave and sent messages threatening to publish the company's data if arrested.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office with assistance from its Charlotte office in North Carolina. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Macey and Joseph “Tony” Misher are prosecuting with support from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina.

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