A Russian national has pleaded guilty to being involved in a plan to commit the crime of extortion from a leading electric car manufacturer, Tesla.
According to the BBC, the accused, Egor Igorevich Kriuchkov, allegedly offered US $ 1 million to a Tesla employee to install ransomware on the company's computer network in Nevada.
According to prosecutors, the man planned to use ‘ransomware’ to steal Tesla’s confidential information.
The 27 -year -old pleaded guilty last Thursday in Reno, Nevada.
Based on court documents reported by the media, Kriuchkov was in the United States (US) for five weeks between July and August last year on a tourist visa, intended to bribe Tesla employees.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the attack was stopped before it actually happened.
The U.S. Justice Department told Kriuchkov took the Tesla employee out for a drink several times and handed him a phone.
After the employee informed Tesla of Kriuchkov's plans, the company immediately contacted the FBI and instructed the employee to record his conversation with the man.
Kriuchkov told the court last September that the Russian government was aware of his plan but the FBI and lawyers denied the attack had ties to the Kremlin.
According to The Record website, Kriuchkov faces a 10 -month prison sentence after signing an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty.
