Who's who in the Shadowcrewand the federal agencies who investigated the activities of this Web mob.
Job titles drawn from an indictment issued by a grand jury sitting for the District of New Jersey in Newark.
SHADOWCREW
(a.k.a. Deck, a.k.a. d3ck, a.k.a. BlahBlahBlahSTFU, a.k.a. DeckerdIsMissin, a.k.a. ThnkYouPleaseDie)
Administrator
Mantovani allegedly helped found the Shadowcrew around August 2002 and is said to be a member of its governing council. He and other Shadowcrew leaders controlled the direction of the group and handled day-to-day decisions, according to the indictment. He has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy and three counts of fraud.
(a.k.a. Black Ops, a.k.a. BlackBag Tricks)
Administrator
Appleyard is believed by law enforcement to be a member of the governing council. He is accused of serving as the Shadowcrew's enforcer, punishing members who, for example, misrepresented the goods they sold. Appleyard is "in discussion" with the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey, says his lawyer.
(a.k.a. Voleur, a.k.a. Jaeden)
Money Launderer
Dhanani is accused of laundering money for Shadowcrew members for a fee that works out to 10% of the funds processed. Dhanani's attorney says his client has not entered a plea and that he and his client are talking to the U.S. Attorney about a settlement.
(a.k.a. Kerberos, a.k.a. Empire_Kerberos)
Reviewer
Rodrigues is accused of reviewing, or evaluating the quality of, products such as counterfeit ID cards for the Shadowcrew. Rodrigues has pleaded not guilty.
(a.k.a. Ethics)
Vendor
Jacobsen is accused of offering stolen phone numbers and Social Security numbers to Shadowcrew members. According to the Secret Service, he exposed confidential documents by hacking into the systems of wireless service T-Mobile and grabbing a Secret Service agent's e-mail. Jacobsen pleaded guilty to gaining unauthorized access to a protected computer and recklessly causing at least $5,000 in loss to one or more victims, including T-Mobile.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
U.S. Attorney's Office
Information and Administrative Services
Christie headed the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Section and was the lead prosecutor in the Shadowcrew case. Christie left the Attorney's Office last year and is now a partner with McCarter & English, a corporate law firm.
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Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Investigative Division Secret Service
Johnson leads the division that monitored and supported the Shadowcrew investigation from the agency's offices in Washington, D.C.
Deputy Chief of Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section
U.S. Department of Justice
Painter's section supported the Shadowcrew investigation by obtaining court approvals for Secret Service actions. He once prosecuted notorious phone-freak and network hacker Kevin Mitnick.
Special Agent
U.S. Secret Service
Reitas filed the criminal complaint against 10 members of the group, including Mantovani and Appleyard. He broke down how the group was organized and how the Secret Service was able to gather evidence against the defendants.
Former Special Agent
U.S. Secret Service
Cavicchia unintentionally exposed Secret Service documents to the Shadowcrew. He accessed a Secret Service mail server over a computer connected via T-Mobile wireless Internet access. That exposed messages coming to his personal T-Mobile e-mail account. Cavicchia has since left the agency.