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Mihai Ionuț Păunescu, known as ‘Virus’, arrested in Sinaia
Mihai Ionuț Păunescu, a notorious cybercriminal known by the alias ‘Virus’, has been placed under 30-day house arrest following an incident in Sinaia, Romania. Păunescu was intercepted by police after a License Plate Recognition system flagged his vehicle on the DN1 highway.
Authorities discovered that the vehicle was equipped with a rotating mechanism designed to rapidly switch between standard Romanian license plates and fraudulent plates mimicking the Diplomatic Corps. Upon investigation, police found that Păunescu was using false Italian documents and was operating with a suspended driver's license.
Păunescu has a significant criminal history, including a 2023 conviction in the United States. He was sentenced to three years in prison for his involvement in a cybercrime infrastructure used to distribute dangerous malware, such as the ‘Gozi’ program, which infected over one million computers, including systems at NASA.
Entities
Mihai Ionuț Păunescu · Prahova County Police Inspectorate · Sinaia · Sinaia Court · United States
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] The vehicle was equipped with a rotating mechanism to switch between Romanian license plates and fake diplomatic plates. www.dcnews.ro · www.g4media.ro
- [● 2 SOURCES] A judge from the Sinaia Court ordered 30 days of house arrest for Mihai Ionuț Păunescu. www.dcnews.ro · www.g4media.ro
- [● 2 SOURCES] The court ordered electronic monitoring to ensure compliance with the house arrest. www.dcnews.ro · www.g4media.ro
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Păunescu was convicted in the US for his role in distributing the Gozi malware. www.g4media.ro
- [● 2 SOURCES] Mihai Ionuț Păunescu, known as 'Virus', is 42 years old and was sentenced to three years in prison in the US in 2023. www.dcnews.ro · www.g4media.ro