Web Developer Accused Of Stealing Data, Computer Tampering

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A web developer was arrested in New Rochelle for using his former employer’s data and computer servers to set up his own business. Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino Jr. said Friday that Nial Yusupov, 25, of New Rochelle was arraigned March 28 on second-degree grand larceny, first-degree computer tampering and first-degree unlawful duplication of computer-related material, felonies.

Scarpino said Yusupov is alleged to have copied and stolen digital data from his former employer, a New Rochelle-based chemical distribution company.

Authorities said that while employed as a web developer and coder for the chemical distributor, Yusupov had full access to the company’s computer servers with domain administrator privileges.

He worked at the company from May 30, 2016, until he voluntarily resigned April 28, 2017.

Between Jan. 1, 2017, and April 28, 2017, Yusupov used his administrator privileges to copy records relating to the operations of the business from a proprietary database and used that data to create his own company called Solventsol, police said.

An internal audit conducted by the company after they discovered the theft valued the repair of their computer system, their proprietary database and related data at approximately $183,400, prosecutors said.

Scarpino said the defendant used the company computer system to set up and register “solventsol.com” in Jan. 2017, set up an off-site network/server to host “solventsol.com” at a location on Van Guilder Avenue in New Rochelle, manipulate the company’s firewall settings to establish an open connection between the company databases and Solventsol’s databases, write code in JavaScript to search and copy specific valuable information from the company’s database and then input that information into Solventsol’s databases and delete traces of the code and software he used to do this.

Authorities said those actions damaged the integrity of company’s computer system.

Yusupov’s bail was sent at $5,000, and the court ordered him to surrender his passport.

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