Russian Hoops Star Detained in France Over U.S. Cybercrime Charges

French law enforcement has detained a Russian professional basketball player at the request of U.S. authorities, who are seeking his extradition for alleged involvement in a ransomware hacking operation, a Paris court was informed on Wednesday.

Daniil Kasatkin, 26, who played college basketball at Penn State University and most recently for Moscow’s MBA-MAI team, was apprehended at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris on June 21, according to officials.

U.S. authorities allege that he was involved in negotiating payments for a group that targeted the computer networks of approximately 900 companies and two federal agencies between 2020 and 2022, demanding ransom to cease their attacks.

Kasatkin has denied all charges against him.

«He bought a second-hand computer. He hasn’t done anything wrong. He is in disbelief,» his lawyer, Frederic Belot, told AFP.

«He is not skilled with computers at all. He can’t even install an application. He didn’t manipulate anything on that computer. Either it was hacked, or it was sold to him by someone posing as a different individual,» Belot further explained.

The court ruled against granting bail to Kasatkin, who is facing the possibility of being extradited to the United States.

Belot mentioned that Kasatkin had recently gotten engaged and traveled to France with his fiancée. He noted that the athlete’s health is declining in custody, which could jeopardize his basketball career.

Kasatkin spent four seasons with the MBA-MAI team, contributing to the team’s third-place finishes in the Russian Basketball Cup on two occasions. He also played a brief stint as a guard for Penn State during the 2018-2019 season.