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Abstract

This study explores the characteristics of international cyber offenders prosecuted in the U.S. Our findings to a large extent correspond with general studies about cyber offenders with a few important exceptions. First, the average age of the offenders in our study is slightly higher than others that do not focus exclusively on international offenders. Second, while this research confirms that China is among the leading country in committing cybercrimes when it comes to committing particular types of cybercrimes, the offenders come from other countries as well such as Romania, Estonia, Ukraine, South Africa, and Nigeria. Third, our results show that in each of the cases from the sample, the international offenders received prison sentences alone, or complemented with a fine or restitution. In addition, the sentence length of citizens of African countries is significantly higher than the ones of citizens of other geographic regions. Prison sentences for cyber frauds and identity thefts were also found to be much lengthier than sentences for other types of cybercrimes. Implications are provided.

Note on the Author(s)

Lora Hadzhidimova is a PhD candidate in International Studies with a focus on Security Studies at Old Dominion University. She earned her MA degree in Humanities at ODU and also holds an LL.M. degree from Sofia University, Bulgaria.

Brian Payne is the vice provost for academic affairs and professor of sociology and criminal justice at Old Dominion University. He received his PhD in criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. His research interests are in the areas of cybercrime, electronic monitoring, and white-collar crime. He has published eight books and more than 160 journal articles. His research appears in outlets such as Justice Quarterly, Crime and Delinquency, Criminology and Public Policy, Deviant Behavior, and Criminal Justice Studies.

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