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Roman Seleznev's turn to the dark side of computer hacking

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FLICKR PHOTO/hackNY.org (CC BY-SA 2.0)/https://flic.kr/p/bHLu96

Bill Radke speaks with Seattle Times reporter Mike Carter about the case of Roman Seleznev. Seleznev's story reads like spy fiction. He is the illegitimate son of a prominent Russian politician and Putin ally. He grew up in poverty, with an alcoholic mother who died when he was a teenager. Without a mother and abandoned by his powerful father, 17-year-old Seleznev ended up living on the streets.

Seleznev went on to steal and sell hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of credit card numbers, many from businesses here in Washington state. U.S. authorities pursued Seleznev around the globe and finally, they arrested him and brought him to Washington for trial.

He was just convicted and sentenced to 27 years in prison.

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