The U.S. Justice Department has unsealed a four-count indictment charging British citizen Kai West, 25, with operating the online persona “IntelBroker” and orchestrating a global hacking campaign that prosecutors say inflicted more than $25 million in losses on over 40 organisations. West was arrested by French authorities in February and is being held while the United States seeks his extradition to face trial in Manhattan federal court. The indictment accuses him of conspiring with other hackers to infiltrate corporate and government networks, steal data and either sell the information or extort victims for ransom. The alleged breach of Cisco in 2024 is among the incidents cited. Prosecutors say West used the BreachForums cyber-crime marketplace to advertise stolen data. FBI investigators linked the IntelBroker alias to West by tracing cryptocurrency transactions and an email account connected to his U.K. driver’s licence. The charges—conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and unauthorised access to a protected computer—carry maximum sentences of up to 20 years on the most serious counts. “This action reflects the FBI’s commitment to pursuing cyber-criminals around the world,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said, adding that remote actors will be brought to justice regardless of where they operate.