Daniel Kaye, 34, also known as “Popopret,” “Bestbuy,” “TheRealDeal,” “Logger,” “David Cohen,” “Marc Chapon,” “UserL0ser,” “Spdrman,” “Dlinch Kravitz,” “Fora Ward,” and “Ibrahim Sahil,” of London, England operated The Real Deal, a Dark Web market for illicit items, including stolen account login credentials for U.S. government computers; stolen account login credentials for social media accounts and bank accounts; stolen credit card information; stolen personally identifiable information; illegal drugs; botnets; and computer hacking tools, said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.
Kaye listed for sale on The Real Deal login credentials for U.S. government computers belonging to the U.S. Postal Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the U.S. Navy, according to the indictment.
In addition, Kaye, along with an individual known as “thedarkoverlord,” trafficked in stolen social security numbers; and Kaye possessed 15 or more stolen login credentials for Twitter and LinkedIn, according to the indictment.
Kaye also faces charges of laundering cryptocurrency he obtained from The Real Deal through Bitmixer.io, a website that offered Bitcoin “mixing” services and, through its “mixing” algorithm, sought to keep its users anonymous, private, and immune to Bitcoin blockchain tracing analysis, according to the indictment.
“While living overseas, this defendant allegedly operated an illegal website that made hacking tools and login credentials available for purchase, including those for U.S. government agencies,” Buchanan said.
On April 13, 2021, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Kaye with five counts of access device fraud for unauthorized solicitation, one count of using and trafficking in unauthorized access devices, two counts of possession of unauthorized and counterfeit access devices, and one count of money laundering conspiracy. When the grand jury handed up the indictment, Kaye was overseas and, in September 2022, consented to his extradition from Cyprus to the United States.