Naperville Man Led Conspiracy To Sell Stolen Credit Card Numbers On Dark Web: Authorities

NAPERVILLE, IL — A Naperville man pleaded guilty Monday to leading a conspiracy to sell stolen credit card numbers on the dark web, according to authorities.

Michael D. Mihalo, also known as Dale Michael Mihalo Jr., founded a dark web “carding” site called Skynet Market to sell stolen financial information, authorities said. The 40-year-old Mihalo worked under the name “ggmccloud1” and sold the stolen credit and debit numbers of tens of thousands of people between Feb. 22, 2016, and Oct. 1, 2019, according to authorities.

Mihalo possessed, sent and received information from nearly 50,000 stolen cards and earned at least $1 million in cryptocurrencies at the time of the sales, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release. He pleaded guilty to six counts of money laundering, one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and one count of access device fraud, according to authorities.

Mihalo faces up to 10 years in prison for the most serious charges and must forfeit several million dollars in cryptocurrency, financial accounts and property, authorities said, adding he has agreed to enter into a money judgment to be determined at sentencing.

Taylor Ross Staats, a conspirator of Mihalo’s, pleaded guilty Dec. 14 to conspiracy to commit access device fraud, according to authorities. Staats, 40, of Texas, was a “card checker” who ensured financial information sold by Mihalo and others remained active and hadn’t been canceled, authorities said, noting Staats earned at least $21,000 in Bitcoin for his services.

To make a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, visit ic3.gov.