Lhe case began in 2021, when the FBI identified Sébastien Raoult as a key player in computer hacking and identity theft activities targeting technology companies. In May 2022, he was arrested in Rabat, following an international arrest warrant issued by the American authorities.
His arrest marks the beginning of a descent into hell: eight months spent in a Moroccan prison, before his extradition to the United States. There, Raoult pleaded guilty to the charges against him: computer fraud and aggravated identity theft.
In January 2024, he was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to repay five million dollars for the damages caused. However, reduced sentences allow him to regain his freedom in December 2024.
His lawyer, Me Philippe Ohayon, defended his client as a misguided young man, far from the image of the seasoned cybercriminal: “The American judge clearly understood that Sébastien Raoult was not the bad hacker as initially presented”, he told AFP.
“I was young at the time of the events, stupid and stupid”
“I was young at the time of the events, stupid and stupid. It allowed me to mature and grow”, confided the young man at the beginning of January in an interview with Parisian, after his return to France, also evoking the lessons learned from his stay in prison: “I’ve seen people I don’t want to become.”
Despite the difficult conditions, he believes he was able to adapt: “I have never been afraid of violence. Even if the American police officers play tough, I have always known how to surround myself well.”
However, his return to France is not without obstacles. Upon his arrival at Roissy airport in December, Sébastien Raoult was immediately arrested by the French authorities and indicted for another cybercrime case.
According to investigators, he would be involved in the creation and sale of software exploiting flaws in the messaging servers of the company Amazon Web Services (AWS). This investigation carried out by the cybercrime brigade (BL2C) could once again expose Raoult to legal proceedings.