French authorities have arrested a Russian professional basketball player who is accused of being a member of a ransomware gang, according to newswire Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Daniil Kasatkin plays for MBA Moscow, a team that is part of the VTB United League, which comprises mostly Russian clubs as well as one team each from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Kasatkin briefly played for Penn State during the 2018-2019 season.
The AFP reported that U.S. authorities believe Kasatkin moonlit as a ransomware hacker. Kasatkin was arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris on June 21.
Kasatkin’s lawyer Frederic Belot told the AFP that his client is innocent.
“He bought a used computer. He did absolutely nothing wrong. He’s shocked,” Belot told AFP.
“He’s useless with computers. He can’t even install an app. He didn’t touch anything on this computer. It was either hacked, or sold to him by a hacker who wanted to pass himself off as someone else.”
