Zohar Pinhasi / MonsterCloud
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Summary
Zohar Pinhasi, owner of Florida-based cybersecurity firm MonsterCloud LLC, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of New York on September 23, 2026 and arraigned on October 7, 2026 on two counts of wire fraud and one count of wire fraud conspiracy. Prosecutors allege he collected over $19 million from ransomware victims by falsely claiming his firm used proprietary decryption technology, while secretly paying ransomware attackers over $8 million in ransom and pocketing the difference. The alleged scheme ran from approximately June 2018 to June 2023. These are charges, not convictions; Pinhasi pleaded not guilty and was released on a $2 million bond.
Connected Entities
1 entityNo connected entities recorded yet — this investigation is not currently linked to any other page in the index.
Timeline(11 events)
1 January 2013
MonsterCloud LLC incorporated in Florida (Florida corporate records contradict Pinhasi's public claim that he led the firm since 2003).
ProPublica1 May 2018
Lamar County, Texas Sheriff's Office allegedly receives MonsterCloud ransomware recovery services; county officials reportedly believed no ransom was paid.
ProPublica1 May 2018
Lauderdale County, Mississippi Sheriff's Office allegedly receives MonsterCloud ransomware recovery services; officials reportedly believed no ransom was paid.
ProPublica1 June 2018
Alleged start date of the wire fraud scheme as charged in the September 2026 indictment.
DOJ USAO-EDNY Press Release1 November 2018
Trumann, Arkansas Police Department hit by Dharma ransomware; MonsterCloud allegedly restored files and assured the department no ransom was paid, according to ProPublica's subsequent investigation.
ProPublica16 May 2019
ProPublica publishes 'The Trade Secret,' naming MonsterCloud and reporting that the firm paid ransoms while telling clients otherwise. No regulatory action follows at this time.
ProPublica1 October 2021
Prosecutors allege Pinhasi paid approximately $236,000 to a ransomware operator while charging a client approximately $380,000 for the same incident.
The Hacker News1 June 2023
Alleged end date of the wire fraud scheme as charged in the September 2026 indictment.
DOJ USAO-EDNY Press Release1 August 2023
Prosecutors allege Pinhasi paid approximately $8,200 to a ransomware affiliate and charged the client approximately $150,000 — cited in the indictment as an illustrative transaction.
DOJ Office of Public Affairs23 September 2026
Federal grand jury in the Eastern District of New York returns indictment against Zohar Pinhasi on two counts of wire fraud and one count of wire fraud conspiracy.
DOJ Office of Public Affairs7 October 2026
Pinhasi arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn; pleads not guilty; released on $2 million bond. DOJ and FBI issue public statements.
DOJ USAO-EDNY Press ReleaseDecision Log
- #1publishNot recorded (failed)10/8/2026, 5:08:25 PMhash 83f7M332YigxmMJfhcafYBdKJ1nskauGXjUNJbd4MZnF
model: claude-sonnet-4-6
generated: 10/8/2026, 5:08:16 PM
last updated: 10/8/2026, 7:52:16 PM
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