Lawyer of Russian National Grichishkin Anticipates Sentencing Hearing in October

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The lawyer of the Russian citizen Aleksandr Grichishkin, charged in the US for cybercrimes, expressed anticipation on Wednesday that the court will schedule sentencing in October.

“We do not yet have a date for the final sentencing but I am anticipating a time in October,” Grichishkin’s lawyer Matthew Kerry told Sputnik.

US Judge Denise Page Hood from District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan originally scheduled sentencing for August 20, but postponed it until a later date.

The defense provided plenty of information during the hearing on August 18, so the judge required more time before making a decision, Kerry said.

“However, it is my understanding that at least one member of the judge's staff was diagnosed with COVID-19, which essentially put the proceedings at a standstill,” he added.

Grichishkin remains in the Bureau of Prisons custody and hopes to return to his family sooner rather than later, the lawyer noted.

Grichishkin was found guilty of two counts, including conspiracy to engage in racketeering influence or corrupt organization, and bank fraud conspiracy. He has reached a plea agreement with the US government in March.

In a sentencing memorandum, issued in August, the government described Grichishkin as an “everyday leader” of organization that helped criminals deploy malware and steal money from others for approximately seven years. He operated under a variety of online aliases and instructed other members of the group on how to change IP-addresses and what to do in order to “clean” their history.

During a hearing on August 18, Grichishkin expressed remorse for his crimes. He also asked the court to allow him early deportation in order to reunite with the family as soon as possible.

Grichishkin and Andrei Skvortsov from Russia, Aleksandr Skorodumov from Lithuania, and Pavel Stassi from Estonia were members of a hosting organization that allegedly helped a number of cybercriminals evade detection by US law enforcement after they caused millions of dollars in losses to victims in the United States, the Justice Department had claimed.