**Hambardzum Minasyan** was arrested on Monday, March 23, and appeared in federal court in Austin on Tuesday. U.S. prosecutors allege he registered virtual private servers that were part of RedLine's infrastructure and two web domains used during RedLine attacks. ### Alleged Activities Minasyan is also accused of registering a cryptocurrency account in November 2021, which the RedLine cybercrime gang used to receive affiliate payments. Furthermore, he allegedly created online file-sharing repositories used to distribute the malware to affiliates. "Hambardzum Minasyan allegedly conspired with others to enrich himself by developing and administering RedLine, one of the most prevalent infostealing malware variants in the world, which has previously been used to conduct intrusions against major corporations," the Justice Department said on Wednesday. "When executed, RedLine would steal data, including access devices, from victims' computers." ### Management of Digital Infrastructure With the help of accomplices, Minasyan managed the operation's digital infrastructure, including administrative panels and command-and-control (C2) servers. These resources were used by affiliates to deploy the info stealer to victims' compromised devices. The conspirators also allegedly provided support to actual and potential RedLine affiliates, answering their questions and requests. They are accused of conspiring to steal financial information from infected systems, laundering the illegally obtained funds through cryptocurrency exchanges and other methods. ### Potential Penalties Minasyan is now facing charges including access device fraud, Computer Fraud and Abuse Act violation, and money laundering conspiracy. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 30 years in prison. ### Operation Magnus In October 2024, the Dutch National Police seized the network infrastructure for the Redline malware-as-a-service (MaaS) platform, working with international partners in a joint action named "Operation Magnus." ### Previous Charges The United States also charged Russian national **Maxim Alexandrovich Rudometov**, the suspected developer and administrator of the RedLine operation, who could face up to 35 years in prison if convicted on counts of access device fraud, conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, and money laundering. ### Reward Offered More recently, in June 2025, the U.S. Department of State announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of government-sponsored hackers linked to the RedLine operation and its suspected creator.