Going by the online pseudonym “IcyEagle,” a Winona man trolled the dark recesses of the internet peddling stolen bank account information — and now faces a potentially lengthy prison sentence, federal prosecutors said Friday.
IcyEagle was brought in from the cold Friday, as Aaron James Glende, 35, was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Atlanta on several felony charges of bank fraud, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.
In November 2015, Glende began advertising on AlphaBay, a “dark web” market not accessible through regular web browsers and used to market drugs, weapons, stolen property, criminal services and other illegal items, according to information provided by the United States Attorney’s Office and the FBI. The website is sophisticated, including search functions and the ability to rate and review sellers by name, similar to legitimate online retailers, officials said.
Beginning in March 2016, Glende posted ads for “freshly hacked SunTrust Bank Account Logins,” offering them at prices ranging from $9.99 to $69.99, depending on the available account balance. Undercover FBI agents found the offers too attractive to pass up and made several purchases from Glende, a.k.a. IcyEagle, using the online currency Bitcoin.
After affirming that the purchased account information was indeed linked to real accounts that Glende was not authorized to access, the information was brought before a federal grand jury and an indictment was handed down June 28.
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Glende is also facing trouble closer to home.
On March 11, Winona law enforcement officers, acting on information provided by the U.S. Postal Service, executed a search warrant at Glende’s home and seized significant quantities of prescription drugs not prescribed for him, including nearly 600 Xanax capsules, several dozen other pills, $1,300 in cash, and two packages containing drugs that were addressed and ready to mail.
As a result, Glende was charged in Winona County District Court with second-degree sale of oxycodone in a park zone, third-degree possession of oxycodone, fourth-degree sale of amphetamine, fifth-degree sale of alprazolam, fifth-degree sale of diazepam and fifth degree possession of marijuana resin.
Those charges have not been resolved.
