Arrests made in attack on D.C. surveillance cameras days before inauguration

Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Two Romanian suspects conspired to illegally access Washington, D.C., police computers associated with security cameras throughout the city in the days leading up to President Donald Trump's inauguration, the Department of Justice said Thursday.

Mihai Alexandru Isvanca, 25, and Eveline Cismaru, 28, face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit various forms of computer fraud. Authorities arrested the two Dec. 15 at an airport in Otopeni, Romania.

Investigators said Isvanca and Cismaru participated in a scheme to send ransomware emails to at least 179,000 email addresses associated with the Metropolitan Police Department. Authorities found the ransomware on MPD surveillance camera computers between Jan. 9 and Jan. 12.

"This case was of the highest priority due to its impact on the Secret Service's protective mission and its potential effect on the security plan for the 2017 Presidential Inauguration," a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., said. "The investigation revealed no evidence that any person's physical security was threatened or harmed due to the distruption of the MPD surveillance cameras."

The release said Isvanca was in police custody in Romania, while Cismaru was released to house arrest.