The 29-year-old Swede is suspected of having played a leading role in a ring that tricked Swedes into downloading fraudulent apps to their phones. At a later stage, the phones could be remotely controlled from the US to log into the victims' bank accounts and transfer money to the fraudsters.
"It's usually done at a time of day when the victims aren't using their phones. By the time they discover the crime, the money has already disappeared," says senior prosecutor Johanna Kolga, who is leading the investigation.
The victims are primarily described as wealthy.
"Two people have lost seven million kronor each, and some have lost five million kronor each, so it's a large sum of money," says Kolga.
Convicted in the United States
The suspected crimes allegedly took place from July 2021 to July 2023. Swedish police managed to find him using electronic traces, such as mapping IP addresses and covert surveillance of electronic communications. At that time, he was already suspected of money laundering in the United States, but still at large.
"They have a rule that you are not allowed to deposit more than a certain amount in cash without an explanation of where it comes from, and he had done that on a few occasions," says Kolga.
The man was arrested and detained in November 2024. Since then, he has been in custody in the United States. In March, he was convicted of the money laundering offenses. Because he had been in custody so long, he was considered to have served the three-month prison sentence he was given.
Eight years in prison
Johanna Kolga, who describes the evidence as "very strong," says she will argue that the time in American custody should not be counted towards his sentence if he is convicted in Sweden.
"I can't say now what sentence I will seek, but the maximum sentence for gross fraud is six years, and then you can get an additional two years for aggravated criminality," says Kolga.
A detention hearing will be held on Saturday at Stockholm District Court.
