Virginia Twin Brothers Arrested After Alleged Deletion Of Nearly 100 U.S. Government Databases

Virginia Twin Brothers Arrested Over Alleged Attack On Government Records

Two twin brothers from Virginia, Muneeb Akhter and Sohaib Akhter, both 34, were arrested this week after the Justice Department announced they are accused of conspiring to delete government databases while employed by a federal contractor.

Allegations and Scope

According to the indictment and a DOJ news release, prosecutors allege the brothers sought to damage their former employer and its U.S. government customers by accessing systems without authorization, issuing commands to block other users from modifying databases, deleting records, stealing data and destroying evidence.

Prosecutors say Muneeb Akhter deleted nearly 100 databases in February that contained U.S. government information, including Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) records and sensitive investigative files from federal components. About a minute after deleting a Department of Homeland Security database, he allegedly asked an artificial-intelligence tool how to clear system logs following database deletions.

Other Alleged Misconduct

The indictment further alleges Muneeb accessed records from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission without authorization after being fired and copied IRS data stored on a virtual machine. That IRS-related data reportedly included federal tax information and other identifying details for at least 450 people. Sohaib is accused of trafficking a password that could grant access to a government-used computer.

The brothers previously pleaded guilty in 2015 to conspiracy charges tied to data breaches at the State Department and a cosmetics company; both served several years in prison before being hired as engineers by Opexus, a contractor that processes government records. Following their termination, company laptops used by the pair were reportedly wiped before being returned, and the brothers discussed cleaning their home ahead of a potential police search.

"These defendants abused their positions as federal contractors to attack government databases and steal sensitive government information," Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the DOJ’s Criminal Division said in the department’s statement. "Their actions jeopardized the security of government systems and disrupted agencies’ ability to serve the American people."

Charges and Legal Status

Muneeb Akhter is charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and to destroy records, two counts of computer fraud, theft of U.S. government records and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Sohaib Akhter faces charges of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and to destroy records and computer fraud. These are allegations in an indictment; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.