North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Trying to Extort Millions of Dollars From D.C.-Based Company

WASHINGTON - Cameron Curry, 25, of Raleigh, North Carolina, pleaded guilty today to stealing sensitive data from his prior employer, a D.C.-based company, and extorting the company by threatening to publish this data unless the company paid him $2.5 million. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.

Curry pleaded guilty to one count of felony extortion for making an interstate threat to injure the property or reputation of another in order to extort money before U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 28, 2025.

According to court documents, Curry admitted that he had been working as a contract employee with the victim company but was told on December 5, 2023, that his last day of employment would be December 15, 2023. On December 11, 2023, posing under the pseudonym of "Loot," Curry began sending a series of emails to the victim company and its employees threatening to publish certain sensitive financial records and personally identifiable information of the victim company's employees. In one email, Curry wrote, "If you wish to reclaim your data, we recommend doing so promptly at 2.5 million USD in order to save your company and stocks, as each subsequent month will incur a $100,000 USD increase." Between December 11 and January 23, Curry allegedly sent over 60 similarly threatening emails to the company.

Law enforcement identified Curry as the individual posing as "Loot" by metadata in the communications he sent to the company, user information for the email address he used to send these communications, and account details for the cryptocurrency wallet to which he directed the victim to send him the ransom he demanded, among other evidence.

On January 24, 2024, when the FBI sought to execute a search warrant at Curry's residence, Curry was arrested after he refused to leave the residence and then sent a series of messages to the victim company threatening to publish its data if he were to be arrested.

This case is being investigated by the FBI's Washington Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI's Field Office in Charlotte, North Carolina.

It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Macey and Joseph "Tony" Misher for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina.

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