An Israeli private detective detained in New York since 2019 on charges of involvement in a hacker-for-hire scheme pleaded guilty to wire fraud, conspiracy to commit hacking and aggravated identity theft on Wednesday.
Federal prosecutors say the detective, Aviram Azari, organized a series of hacking missions on behalf of unnamed third parties against American companies based in New York, using fake websites and phishing messages to steal email account passwords.
Five people familiar with the case say that Azari is being charged in relation to New Delhi-based BellTroX InfoTech Services, which Reuters last year reported was behind a hacking campaign that targeted lawyers, government officials, businessmen, investors and activists around the world.
