Romanian Cybercriminal Admits Guilt in Scheme Selling Oregon State Government Network Access
A Romanian national has admitted guilt regarding unauthorized access and the sale of network credentials associated with an Oregon state government office and numerous other U.S. victims. This announcement was made by the U.S. Department of Justice on…
A Romanian national has admitted guilt regarding unauthorized access and the sale of network credentials associated with an Oregon state government office and numerous other U.S. victims. This announcement was made by the U.S. Department of Justice on Fri, Feb 20, 2026.
Catalin Dragomir, aged 45, previously residing in Constanta, Romania, confessed to infiltrating the Oregon state government office's network in June 2021. He subsequently sold this access on the dark web.
Dragomir employed a method commonly used in initial access broker operations by providing potential buyers with sample personally identifiable information (PII) stolen from the compromised system.
In addition to the Oregon breach, Dragomir sold unauthorized access to networks of various U.S.-based victims, causing losses of at least $250,000 across all incidents.
Dragomir was apprehended in Romania in Nov 2024, through a coordinated effort between U.S. and Romanian authorities, and was later extradited to the United States in Jan 2025.
Catalin Dragomir, aged 45, previously residing in Constanta, Romania, confessed to infiltrating the Oregon state government office's network in June 2021.
He has pleaded guilty to one count of obtaining information from a protected computer and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Sentencing is set for Tue, May 26, 2026. Dragomir faces a potential five-year prison term for the computer intrusion charge, followed by a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft.
The FBI's Portland Field Office led the investigation, with prosecution managed by Trial Attorneys Benjamin A. Bleiberg and Alison M. Zitron of the DOJ's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS), alongside Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine A. Rykken.
The Criminal Division's Office of International Affairs collaborated with Romania’s Ministry of Justice to secure Dragomir’s arrest and extradition. Darkweb IQ also contributed to the investigation.
This case highlights the ongoing threat posed by initial access brokers who commercialize network access on criminal marketplaces, facilitating ransomware attacks and data theft. Since 2020, CCIPS has successfully convicted over 180 cybercriminals and recovered more than $350 million for victims.
Based on reporting by GBHackers.