The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal prosecutors have charged more than 125 suspected computer hackers, identity thieves and other cyberspace scammers in a nationwide crackdown on Internet crime, law enforcement officials said Thursday.
Those facing charges include run-of-the-mill counterfeiters and software pirates, as well as a man who illegally tried to sell Congressional Medals of Honor online and another man who hijacked the Web site of the al-Jazeera Arabic language news network to display a patriotic U.S. message.
The investigation, dubbed “Operation Cyber Sweep,” has uncovered about 125,000 victims with losses topping $100 million over the past several months. Seventy indictments to date have led to arrests or convictions of 125 people, with more expected as the probe continues.
Announcement of the arrests was intended in part to reinforce the government’s commitment to tracking down computer crime perpetrators.