Israeli 'credit card trafficker' arrested in France

An alleged international credit card trafficker from Russia who sold stolen credit card data has been arrested in France, and the United States will seek his extradition to face charges in this country, US authorities said Wednesday.

They identified the defendant as Vladislav Anatolieviech Horohorin, 27, of Moscow, an alleged co-founder of the first and only fully automated credit card information online vending site that sold stolen data.

Horohorin, whose online name is "BadB," was arrested by French authorities Aug. 7, in Nice as he attempted to board a flight to return to Moscow. He is being detained in France pending extradition to the United States.

Horohorin, who holds Israeli and Ukrainian citizenship, was taken into custody by French authorities on a US arrest warrant, based on charges that were unsealed Wednesday. A federal grand jury in Washington charged him with access device fraud and identity theft.

According to court documents, Horohorin allegedly used online criminal forums to sell stolen credit card information to online purchasers worldwide. He had been the subject of an undercover investigation by US Secret Service agents.

"The network created by the founders of CarderPlanet, including Vladislav Horohorin, remains one of the most sophisticated organizations of online financial criminals in the world," said Michael Merritt, US Secret Service Assistant Director for Investigations.

"This network has been repeatedly linked to nearly every major intrusion of financial information reported to the international law enforcement community," he said in a statement.

News agencies contributed to the report