MOSCOW, December 10 (RAPSI) – Alexander Kostyukov, a Russian citizen living in the U.S., was sentenced by a court in Las Vegas to nine years in prison for identity theft and racketeering, Associated Press reported on Wednesday.

According to Associated Press, Kostyukov was a member of worldwide cybercrime organization. He also faces three years of supervised release because of his participation in the "Carder.su" scheme. U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden said that 33 people have been convicted in relation to the scheme which involved laundering of money stolen from bank and credit card accounts.

Kostyukov’s attorney Todd Leventhal said that his client received a sentence that was less than half the 20 years in prison received by another defendant in this case, Associated Press reported.