The U.S. Department of Justice announced on October 7, 2026, that Zohar Pinhasi, identified as the owner of Florida ransomware-remediation company MonsterCloud, was arraigned on wire-fraud charges. The DOJ release does not say the FBI arrested him, identify him as the company’s founder, or describe MonsterCloud as a ransomware negotiation firm. Prosecutors allege that he secretly paid ransomware attackers for decryption keys while charging clients substantially more. Those claims have not been proven in court.
What is confirmed about the case?
In its October 7, 2026 announcement, the Justice Department said Pinhasi, 50, also known as “Zack Silver” and “Zack Green,” was arraigned in the Eastern District of New York. DOJ identifies him as a U.S. and Israeli national and the owner of MonsterCloud, a Florida ransomware-remediation company.
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The announcement lists two counts of wire fraud and one count of wire-fraud conspiracy. It says each count carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison if he is convicted. That is the maximum permitted by statute, not a sentence imposed or a prediction of the eventual outcome.
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According to the indictment as summarized by DOJ, MonsterCloud promoted a way to recover data without paying ransomware attackers. Prosecutors allege that Pinhasi instead contacted attackers and paid them for decryption keys, then charged clients substantially more than the ransom amounts. DOJ says he allegedly claimed to use “proprietary tools” and “advanced decryption techniques,” while the indictment says he had no special technology to decrypt the data.
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The amounts DOJ cites
For one example around August 2023, DOJ says the alleged ransom payment was approximately $8,200 and the client was charged approximately $150,000. Across the alleged scheme, prosecutors say more than $19 million was charged to clients and more than $8 million was paid in ransom. These figures are allegations in this case, not measures of typical ransomware-remediation prices or industry-wide practice.
Was this an FBI arrest?
The official DOJ announcement establishes that Pinhasi was arraigned; it does not give an arrest date or say the FBI made an arrest. It does credit the FBI with investigating the case, which confirms investigative involvement but does not establish who carried out an arrest. The headline claim that the FBI arrested a founder therefore goes beyond what the cited official release confirms.
The same release does not identify Pinhasi as MonsterCloud’s founder or call the company a ransomware negotiation firm. DOJ describes it as a ransomware-remediation company and Pinhasi as its owner.
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No connection is established in the official statements available. On September 23, 2026, the FBI said a cybercriminal enterprise group claimed it had compromised fbijobs.gov and alleged that FBI employees’ personally identifiable information was affected. The bureau said the point of breach—whether a third party or FBI enterprise—was undetermined at that time and that it was investigating with third-party providers. The FBI’s statement about the portal claims does not connect them to Pinhasi or MonsterCloud.
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What is the case status, and what does the charge mean?
An arraignment is a court proceeding at which a defendant is formally presented with charges; it is not a finding of guilt. DOJ’s release states: “An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.” Pinhasi’s guilt has not been established by the allegations described in the announcement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does DOJ say ransomware victims should know?
DOJ says joint FBI and CISA guidance does not recommend paying a ransom. It also says payment does not ensure that data will be decrypted, systems or data will no longer be compromised, or stolen data will not be leaked. The case announcement is not a substitute for individualized incident-response advice; these points describe the warning DOJ attributes to the agencies’ guidance.
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