ExpressVPN Exec Faces Shared $1.6 Million Fine

The chief information officer of a leading virtual private network is among three former U.S. intelligence and military personnel who altogether have been fined more than $1.6 million by the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve hacking-related charges. ExpressVPN CIO Daniel Gericke is among the operatives and military members involved in Project Raven. Those in the project worked as mercenary hackers for the United Arab Emirates, helping it spy on its enemies. The three defendants have agreed to cooperate with U.S. authorities and pay the fine in exchange for deferred prosecution. They have also forfeited foreign and U.S. security clearances and face future employment restrictions. The agreement comes a day after ExpressVPN announced it had been sold as part of a $936 million deal to former adware distributors Kape Technologies ($CSSDF@UK), a company co-founded by an ex-Israeli surveillance agent and a billionaire previously convicted of insider trading.