Two North Carolina men said to be part of international computer hacker plot

Federal prosecutors say Charlotte’s FBI Division played a role in the arrest of two North Carolina men arrested Thursday for their alleged roles in the computer hacking of several senior U.S. government officials and U.S. government computer systems.

Among the suspects is a man who was living about 80 miles north of Charlotte in the Wilkes County town of North Wilkesboro, officials said.

The suspects were identified as Andrew Otto Boggs, aka “INCURSIO,” 22, of North Wilkesboro and Justin Gray Liverman, aka “D3F4ULT,” 24, of Morehead City on the coast.

Federal officials say the Charlotte FBI Division provided “significant assistance” in the case, along with the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina. Among the Charlotte links in the case is a statement attributed to Boggs in which he offers to drive to Charlotte to use public Wi-Fi for publishing stolen information.

Court documents filed in the Eastern District of Virginia by U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente say Boggs and Liverman conspired with members of a hacking group that called itself “Crackas With Attitude.” At least three other members of the conspiracy are located in the United Kingdom and are being investigated by the Crown Prosecution Service, federal officials said.

Among the group’s claims is that it hacked into the personal email of CIA Director John Brennan, which members said was done to embarrass him.

Federal officials say the group used “social engineering” hacking techniques from about October 2015 to February 2016, including victim impersonation, to gain unlawful access to the personal online accounts of senior U.S. government officials, their families, and several U.S. government computer systems.

In some instances, members of the conspiracy uploaded private information that they obtained from victims’ personal accounts to public websites; made harassing phone calls to victims and their family members; and defaced victims’ social media accounts.

Boggs and Liverman will have their initial appearances at the federal courthouse in Alexandria next week in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Theresa Carroll Buchanan.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Brian J. Ebert, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after Boggs and Liverman were arrested.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph V. Longobardo and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jay V. Prabhu and Maya D. Song are prosecuting the case on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

This story was originally published September 8, 2016 at 11:33 AM with the headline "Two North Carolina men said to be part of international computer hacker plot."