US authorities have charged a Russian man, Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev, for his alleged involvement in multiple ransomware schemes that earned him and other attackers nearly $200 million, much of which was obtained through cryptocurrency. The victims of these attacks included hospitals, schools, and police departments. Matveev was part of three ransomware gangs: Lockbit, Babuk, and Hive.

He is accused of helping deploy Babuk ransomware against the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. and a New Jersey nonprofit behavioral healthcare organization. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have become popular tools for conducting ransomware attacks since 2021.