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Alleged Yahoo hacker to appeal ruling that denied him bail in June

May 26, 2017 | 11:00 AM

A Canadian accused in a massive hack of Yahoo emails will be back in court next month to contest a judge’s decision to deny him bail.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Alan Whitten said last month that Karim Baratov, 22, is too much of a flight risk given his easy access to money and his ability to ply his alleged trade from anywhere in the world. 

Whitten also said he didn’t believe Baratov’s parents would make good supervisors because they had turned a blind eye to his alleged activities while he lived under their roof.

Defence lawyers had argued the allegations against their client were inflated and argued the young man was neither as rich nor as well-connected as he had been portrayed.

They say Baratov is set to appeal his bail decision on June 5.

Baratov was arrested under the Extradition Act after U.S. authorities indicted him and three others, two of them allegedly officers of Russia’s Federal Security Service for computer hacking, economic espionage and other crimes.

The breach at Yahoo affected at least a half billion user accounts, but Baratov is only accused of hacking 80 accounts.

Baratov, whose case was in Hamilton court Friday, will also find out mid-June when his extradition hearing will begin. He faces 20 years in prison in the U.S. if convicted.

One of his lawyers, Amedeo DiCarlo, said he has yet to receive disclosure from U.S. authorities or the RCMP.

He said his client is doing well in the meantime.

“He’s pretty calm…he’s pretty much bored,” DiCarlo said outside court. “He wants to be out, he wants to be in the community.”

 

The Canadian Press