Yesterday, a Romanian national pleaded guilty in connection with an online intrusion into an Oregon state government office in 2021 and other cyber attacks on U.S. victims.
According to court documents, Catalin Dragomir, 45, formerly of Constanta, Romania, sold access to a computer on the network of an Oregon state government office after obtaining unauthorized access to it in June of 2021. During the sale of access to the computer, Dragomir provided the prospective buyer with samples of personal identifying information from the computer. He also sold access to the computer networks of numerous other victims in the U.S., causing losses of at least $250,000.
Dragomir was arrested in Romania in Nov. 2024 and extradited to the United States in Jan. 2025.
Dragomir pleaded guilty to one count of obtaining information from a protected computer and one count of aggravated identity theft. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 26, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for obtaining information from a protected computer, to be followed by a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Portland Field Office is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Benjamin A. Bleiberg and Alison M. Zitron of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine A. Rykken for the District of Oregon are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs worked with the Romanian Ministry of Justice, Directorate for International Law and Judicial Cooperation, and the Romanian judiciary to secure the arrest and extradition of Dragomir. The Department of Justice also thanks Darkweb IQ for its assistance with the investigation.
CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cybercriminals and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.