Rydox cybercriminal marketplace operator pleads guilty following co-conspirator brothers’s deportation
Rydox operator Ardit Kutleshi pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft and money laundering.
Ardit Kutleshi, 28, pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft and money laundering for helping run the Rydox cybercriminal marketplace for nearly a decade. Prosecutors said the site had about 18,000 users, facilitated more than 7,600 transactions, and brought in $232,000 from sales of stolen personal information, device access, and fraud tools. He faces a mandatory minimum of two years on the identity-theft count and up to 20 years for money laundering, with sentencing in February. His brother previously pleaded guilty, received time served, and was deported to Kosovo; the FBI seized rydox.cc in December 2024.
- Ardit Kutleshi, 28, extradited from Kosovo, pleaded guilty this week.
- Rydox had about 18,000 users and 7,600 transactions totaling $232,000.
- Identity theft carries a two-year minimum; laundering up to 20 years.
- His brother pleaded guilty, got time served, and was deported in December.
- FBI seized rydox.cc in December 2024; Albania and Malaysia assisted.
From the original article
2 min read at therecord.mediaArdit Kutleshi, 28, was extradited from his home country of Kosovo last year after prosecutors accused him and his older brother of running Rydox — an illicit platform used by cybercriminals to sell stolen personal information, illegal access to devices and other tools for carrying out fraud.
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