Syrian Man Affiliated with Syrian Electronic Army Pleads Guilty in Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- Peter Romar, 37, a Syrian national affiliated with the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA), pleaded guilty Wednesday in a federal court in Alexandria to felony charges of conspiring to receive extortion proceeds and conspiring to unlawfully access computers, according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Romar was extradited from Germany on request of the United States.

The SEA is a hacking group that has been involved since about 2011 in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, officials say.

In 2011, co-defendant Firas Dardar, known online as “The Shadow,” and other members of the SEA engaged in a multi-year criminal conspiracy to conduct computer intrusions against perceived detractors of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, including media entities, the U.S. government, and foreign governments, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Dardar remains at large. See Dardar and others on the FBI's Cyber Most Wanted list here.

In 2013, Romar and Dardar teamed up to engage in an extortion scheme that involved hacking online businesses in the United States and elsewhere for personal profit, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. At least one company has a server in Ashburn, the Washington Post reported.

Court documents further allege that the conspiracy gained unauthorized access to the victims’ computers and then threatened to damage computers, delete data, or sell stolen data unless the victims provided extortion payments to Dardar and/or Romar. If a victim couldn't make extortion payments to the conspiracy’s Syrian bank accounts due to sanctions targeting Syria, Romar acted as an intermediary in Waltershausen, Germany to evade those sanctions, authorities said.

In a 2013 hack, the SEA said it hijacked the Associated Press’s Twitter account and sent out a tweet that falsely reported an explosion at the White House had injured President Obama. The hoax caused a $136 billion dip in the stock market, the Post reported.

“Cybercriminals cannot hide from justice,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “No matter where they are in the world, the United States will vigorously pursue those who commit crimes against U.S. citizens or companies and hold them accountable for their actions.”

“Today’s guilty plea is by the latest international offender who believed that he could operate from abroad, behind the perceived veil of anonymity offered by the Internet, and use computers to threaten the security of our citizens and their property,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “It shows that the Department of Justice and the FBI stand behind their pledge to hold accountable foreign actors who assist in the hacking of U.S. victims.”

Romar faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison when he is sentenced Oct. 21.

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