A 26-year-old Canadian man has pleaded guilty in the United States to four charges connected to the massive Snowflake data breach, which affected 165 organizations and resulted in millions of dollars in losses and extortion payments.

Connor Moucka of Kitchener, Ontario, entered guilty pleas in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington to computer fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 27. The aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison, while the remaining offences carry maximum penalties of up to 30 years.

U.S. prosecutors said Moucka and his co-conspirators gained unauthorized access to cloud-storage accounts belonging to Snowflake customers in 2024, including major companies such as AT&T, Ticketmaster and Santander Bank. Between February and October 2024, the group allegedly stole highly sensitive information and used it to extort victims or offer stolen data for sale on cybercriminal forums.

According to Moucka’s plea agreement, the group obtained 36 bitcoin worth approximately US$2.5 million at the time from at least three victims and sought at least US$6 million for other stolen information. Moucka personally received at least US$495,000 in bitcoin. Prosecutors said the breaches caused victim companies more than US$9.5 million in actual losses, including ransom payments and costs associated with responding to the attacks.

Authorities also said Moucka developed software that automated the identification of potentially valuable information, including names, job roles, IP addresses and banking details. He was arrested at a Kitchener residence in October 2024 and used several online aliases in an effort to conceal his identity. U.S. officials said the case involved cooperation between the FBI, RCMP and law-enforcement agencies in Australia, Spain, Ukraine and Turkey.

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Originally published on Canadian Fraud News.