Romanian Hacker Pleads Guilty to Breaching Oregon Government Systems and Selling Stolen Data
A 45-year-old Romanian national, Catalin Dragomir of Constanța, has pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated identity theft and unauthorized access to protected computer systems after targeting an Oregon state government office and other U.S. victims. The breach, which dates back to June 2021, involved Dragomir infiltrating an Oregon state network and attempting to sell access to a potential buyer. To prove his control, he provided samples of stolen personal data, leading to financial losses totaling at least $250,000 across multiple victims.
Dragomir was arrested in Romania in November 2024 and extradited to the U.S. in January 2025. The investigation was led by the FBI’s Portland Field Office with assistance from cybersecurity firm Darkweb IQ. During court proceedings on February 19, 2026, Dragomir admitted to one count of obtaining information from a protected computer and one count of aggravated identity theft. He faces up to five years for the first charge and a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence for the second, with sentencing scheduled for May 26, 2026.
The case highlights the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DoJ) ongoing efforts to combat cybercrime, including recent high-profile prosecutions such as the 30-year sentence for the operator of the Incognito darknet market and charges against North Korean nationals and U.S. accomplices in a fraudulent IT hiring scheme. Since 2020, the DoJ’s cybercrime unit has secured over 180 convictions and recovered more than $350 million for victims.
Source: https://hackread.com/romanian-hacker-extradited-us-hacking-oregon-state/
Oregon state government office TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/oregon-department-of-justice
"id": "ore1771960148",
"linkid": "oregon-department-of-justice",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "6/2021",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Public Sector',
'location': 'Oregon, USA',
'name': 'Oregon State Government Office',
'type': 'Government'}],
'attack_vector': 'Unknown',
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes',
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (Personally Identifiable '
'Information)',
'type_of_data_compromised': 'Personal data'},
'date_detected': '2021-06',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2026-02-19',
'description': 'A 45-year-old Romanian national, Catalin Dragomir of '
'Constanța, has pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated '
'identity theft and unauthorized access to protected computer '
'systems after targeting an Oregon state government office and '
'other U.S. victims. The breach involved Dragomir infiltrating '
'an Oregon state network in June 2021 and attempting to sell '
'access to a potential buyer. He provided samples of stolen '
'personal data, leading to financial losses totaling at least '
'$250,000 across multiple victims.',
'impact': {'data_compromised': 'Personal data',
'financial_loss': '$250,000',
'identity_theft_risk': 'High',
'systems_affected': 'Oregon state government network'},
'initial_access_broker': {'data_sold_on_dark_web': 'Attempted'},
'investigation_status': 'Concluded (Guilty Plea)',
'motivation': 'Financial Gain',
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2026-02-19',
'source': 'U.S. Department of Justice'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'Aggravated identity theft, '
'Unauthorized access to protected '
'computer systems'},
'response': {'law_enforcement_notified': 'FBI’s Portland Field Office',
'third_party_assistance': 'Darkweb IQ'},
'threat_actor': 'Catalin Dragomir',
'title': 'Romanian Hacker Pleads Guilty to Breaching Oregon Government '
'Systems and Selling Stolen Data',
'type': 'Unauthorized Access, Data Theft, Identity Theft'}