Israeli PI Accused of Hacking Questioned About DC Firm

Three sources said an Israeli private investigator pursued by the US for hack-for-hire (hacking) charges informed colleagues that FBI agents questioned him about his work for DCI Group

Unpreviously unreported federal interest in DCI indicates that the scope of a years-long U.S. investigation into cyber mercenary activity is more extensive than is commonly believed.

Unpreviously unreported federal interest in DCI indicates that the scope of a years-long U.S. investigation into cyber mercenary activity is more extensive than is commonly believed.

The FBI declined commentary. In a written statement, DCI, a public relations firm advising multinational corporations and hedge funds, stated, “We strictly enforce legal compliance for all of our employees and consultants.”

On April 30, Amit Forlit, a private investigator, was apprehended at Heathrow Airport in London on suspicion of American cybercrime and wire fraud.

Prosecutors in London stated that Forlit participated in a “hack for hire scheme” on behalf of multiple clients, one of which was an unidentified public relations and lobbying firm based in Washington.

Two days after his apprehension, he was granted his release because of a procedural error committed by British authorities.

Since his re-apprehension on Thursday for the identical charges, he has been released on parole, according to the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom and a London court register published on Friday.

According to the register, Forlit reportedly surrendered his passport and was ordered not to exit the country.

The attorneys for the 56-year-old failed to respond to multiple messages. Forlit stated in a 2022 deposition, accessible via a new tab, “I have never commissioned or compensated for hacking.”

Reuters disclosed the FBI investigation into the cyber mercenary industry in 2020. Aviram Azari, an Israeli private investigator, is the only known individual convicted about the investigation. Azari received a 6-and-a-half-year sentence last year.

Forlit admitted in his deposition that Azari had performed labor on his behalf (opens a new tab). As per three associates, he privately conveyed apprehension regarding the pursuit by American law enforcement in the aftermath of Azari’s apprehension.

According to the associates, Forlit informed them that he scheduled a meeting with FBI officials at the U.S. embassy in London in late 2021 to determine whether a visit to the United States would result in his detention. They claimed that the FBI questioned him regarding his work for DCI during that meeting.

Under anonymity, the associates relayed the contents of private conversations.

Farhad Azima, an aviation executive, is suing Forlit separately in a federal court in New York. Azima accuses the Israeli of participating in the 2016 seizure of his emails.

He refutes the accusations. According to examining court documents associated with Azima’s lawsuit, Forlit conducted business with DCI. As part of Azima’s discovery endeavor in Florida, a Citibank document made public in August 2022 indicates that Forlit’s company, formerly SDC-Gadot, enumerated DCI Group as one of its three “major customers.”