MalwareTech’s legal defense fund bombarded with fraudulent donations

Enlarge / Marcus Hutchins. (credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Marcus Hutchins, the popular British security researcher, has a new legal headache beyond the criminal charges against him.

Hutchins, AKA "MalwareTech," pleaded not guilty two weeks ago to criminal charges in Wisconsin that accuse him of creating and distributing the Kronos malware that steals banking credentials. Now comes word that his legal defense fund was riddled with illicit donations.

At least $150,000 in donations originated from stolen credit cards or fake credit card numbers, according to Tor Ekeland, a criminal defense attorney who is not on Hutchins' defense team. Ekeland, who became popular in hacking circles for successfully defending Andrew "weev" Auernheimer, had started a legal fund on Hutchins' behalf.

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