Administrator of the World’s Largest Hacker Forum Resentenced to Three-Year Prison Term

Earlier today, a New York federal court resentenced Conor Brian Fitzpatrick, 22, of Peekskill, New York, to three years in prison for creating and administering BreachForums, one of the world’s largest hacker marketplaces, and for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

The sentence follows a January 2025 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which vacated Fitzpatrick’s original seventeen-day term and remanded the case for resentencing.

“After the dismantlement of RaidForums, the defendant set up and administered BreachForums, an online bazaar where criminals could purchase sensitive data,” stated Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

“This sentence underscores our commitment to prosecuting those who sell stolen data and will serve as a warning to anyone contemplating the operation of a similar forum.”

Prolific Cybercrime Marketplace

Launched in March 2022, BreachForums rapidly grew into a leading English-language hacking forum with over 330,000 members.

It replaced RaidForums—a major hacking platform seized by law enforcement in February 2022—and offered access to high-profile database breaches containing bank account details, Social Security numbers, usernames, and passwords for online services.

Court documents reveal that BreachForums maintained at least 888 datasets comprising more than 14 billion individual records of personal identifying information (PII).

Among the exposed data were records for approximately 200 million users of a major U.S. social networking site and nearly 87,760 members of InfraGard, an FBI-private sector partnership dedicated to protecting critical infrastructure.

“Conor Fitzpatrick personally profited from the sale of vast quantities of stolen information, ranging from private personal information to commercial data,” said U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia.

“The scale of these crimes is staggering, and the human cost of his collection of child sexual abuse material is incalculable.”

Charges, Forfeiture, and Investigation

Fitzpatrick pleaded guilty to one count each of access device conspiracy, access device solicitation, and possession of CSAM.

Under the plea agreement, he forfeited over 100 domain names tied to BreachForums, more than a dozen electronic devices used to facilitate the scheme, and cryptocurrency proceeds.

The FBI’s Washington Field Office led the investigation, with prosecution by Trial Attorney Thomas Dougherty of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Halper for the Eastern District of Virginia.

“Today’s sentencing demonstrates that anyone facilitating theft, fraud, and other cybercrimes is not beyond the reach of law enforcement,” asserted Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “We remain dedicated to dismantling criminal marketplaces and pursuing every actor involved.”

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