NEW YORK, January 24 - RAPSI, Larisa Sayenko. Charges have been brought against the three men, including Russian national Nikita Kuzmin, who allegedly created the Gozi computer virus and used it to steal tens of millions of dollars from bank accounts, according to US Attorney Preet Bharara of the Southern District of New York.

Kuzmin, aged 25, is believed to be the mastermind behind the Gozi virus. He faces a maximum sentence of 95 years in prison.

According to the prosecution's documents, Kuzmin, who was arrested in the US, admitted his guilt in May 2011 and agreed to cooperate with the authorities.

The other defendants in the case, Latvian national Deniss Calovskis, aka Miami, and Romanian national Mihai Ionut Paunescu, aka Virus, were arrested at the New York District Attorney's request in their respective countries in November and December 2012. They have not yet been extradited to the US.

The three defendants used the Gozi, Trojan and other viruses to gain access to bank information across the world, including the US, to steal money from the accounts of private individuals and legal entities.

The Gozi virus infected circa 40,000 computers in the US, including around 160 belonging to NASA, according to the court documents. The resulting damages amounted to approximately $50 million.