Russian Citizen Nikulin Accused of Hacking Pleads Not Guilty in US Court

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Russian citizen Yevgeniy Nikulin, accused in the US of hacking social networks, including LinkedIn, refused to admit his guilt during hearings, his lawyer Arkady Bukh told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"The client refused to plead guilty," he said, commenting on the results of hearings held on that day.

According to Bukh, the judge has determined the schedule of the further process, filing of petitions and other formalities.

"This process ends with a jury trial, which is [scheduled] for January 28, 2019 at 7.30 a.m," Bukh said.

He specified that the date had been proposed by the defense, and the prosecutor's office might offer other options before July 3, but so far neither the judge nor the prosecution had expressed any wishes or objections. If such proposals are not received, the date will remain unchanged.

Nikulin was arrested in the Czech Republic on a US warrant in October 2016 for allegedly hacking into computers belonging to LinkedIn, Dropbox and Formspring online services. He was extradited to the United States on March 29.

The Russian Embassy in the United States said it was officially notified by the US State Department about his extradition. Russia's Foreign Ministry said Moscow was outraged by the decision of the Czech Republic to extradite Nikulin.

READ MORE: Russian National Nikulin Not Considering Plea Deal With US Govt in Hacking Case

Nikulin has also been charged with internet fraud in Russia in 2009. Moscow and Washington both requested Nikulin’s extradition on the same day. The Czech court ruled both requests legal, leaving the decision to the country's Justice Minister Robert Pelikan, who satisfied the US request.

Nikulin has previously pleaded not guilty to the US charges against him, which include conspiracy, cyber intrusion and aggravated identify theft.