British National Kai West Charged for $25 Million Cybercrime Operation

U.S. federal prosecutors have charged a 25-year-old British national, Kai West, with leading a global cybercrime operation that resulted in over $25 million in damages. West, known by the alias “IntelBroker,” is accused of conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and related offenses. The indictment, unsealed in New York, details how West ran a hacking crew that infiltrated corporate networks to steal sensitive internal data, including customer databases and marketing plans, with the aim of generating over $2.4 million in profit.

West was arrested in France in February 2025 and has been in custody since then, as U.S. officials work to extradite him. According to prosecutors, West operated the dark web forum BreachForums between August 2024 and January 2025, during which time he allegedly carried out several high-profile hacks. Although IntelBroker has claimed responsibility for attacks on companies like AMD, Cisco, and Hewlett-Packard Enterprise in the past, these specific companies are not mentioned in the formal charges against him.

Investigators allege that West sold or offered data over 150 times between 2023 and 2025. These transactions sometimes involved free exchanges or the use of forum credits that boosted user status and unlocked advanced features. BreachForums, originally launched in March 2022, was shut down in 2023 following the arrest of its first operator, Conor Brian Fitzpatrick, who pleaded guilty and is set to be resentenced after an appeals court found his punishment too lenient.

Authorities were able to link West to the crimes by tracing bitcoin transactions. Undercover agents paid in Bitcoin for the stolen material, which allowed investigators to connect these transactions to West-related email accounts and wallets. Despite West's preference for Monero due to its privacy capabilities, the bitcoin traces provided crucial evidence.

If found guilty, West could face up to 20 years in prison. West’s lawyer has not been identified, and French officials have not responded to the matter. The case is being handled in the Southern District of New York and is filed under U.S. v. West, 25-cr-134.