Two Virginia twin brothers are facing federal charges after allegedly targeting sensitive government databases while working as contractors.
According to Fox News, the Justice Department announced Wednesday that Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter, both 34, were taken into custody in connection with the scheme.
The brothers were indicted last month for conspiring to delete and manipulate databases that stored critical federal information.
Authorities say their actions potentially compromised systems across multiple agencies, including the IRS and the General Services Administration, raising serious concerns about the security of government data.
The brothers have a prior history with federal data breaches. In 2015, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges linked to hacking at the State Department and a private cosmetics company.
After serving time in prison, they were hired as engineers by Opexus, a federal contractor responsible for processing government records.
Following their termination, the DOJ says the Akhters attempted to retaliate against their former employer and its federal clients.
Authorities allege they accessed company systems without permission, deleted databases, blocked others from editing data, stole sensitive information, and destroyed evidence of their activity.
In February, Muneeb Akhter reportedly deleted nearly 100 government databases, including Freedom of Information Act records and sensitive investigative files, the indictment states.
Minutes after removing a Department of Homeland Security database, he allegedly consulted an AI tool on how to erase system logs.
The brothers also allegedly prepared their homes for potential police searches, and company laptops used in the alleged scheme were wiped before being returned.
Muneeb is accused of unlawfully accessing information from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and copying IRS data containing personal and tax information for at least 450 individuals. Sohaib allegedly shared a password that could access a government computer.
“These defendants abused their positions as federal contractors to attack government databases and steal sensitive government information,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti said. “Their actions jeopardized the security of government systems and disrupted agencies’ ability to serve the American people.”
Muneeb Akhter faces charges of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and destroy records, two counts of computer fraud, theft of government records, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
Sohaib faces charges of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and destroy records, as well as computer fraud.
This case marks the latest in a series of legal actions against the Akhter brothers, highlighting ongoing concerns about cybersecurity and the vulnerabilities of federal contractors.
