A federal jury in Alexandria has convicted 34-year-old Sohaib Akhter on several counts, including conspiracy to commit computer fraud and password trafficking, after a high-stakes revenge plot aimed at the U.S. government. Akhter, an Alexandria resident, was also found guilty of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
The conviction stems from a series of events that began while Akhter and his twin brother, Muneeb, were employed by a Washington, D.C. firm. The company provided software and data hosting services for more than 45 federal agencies.
According to court records, the brothers’ access turned criminal on February 1, 2025, when Sohaib queried an EEOC database to steal a private citizen’s password and handed it over to Muneeb, who used it to hijack the individual’s email.
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The situation reached a breaking point on February 18, 2025, when the company discovered Sohaib’s prior felony record. During a remote meeting, the firm fired both brothers. Immediately after the call ended, the pair used their remaining access to launch a digital assault on their former employer’s servers in Ashburn. Over several hours, they deleted approximately 96 databases containing sensitive government data and attempted to wipe the logs of their activity.
“Sohaib Akhter harmed Americans who trusted their government with personal information and sensitive requests,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva. “His conviction shows that getting fired from a job is not an invitation to retaliate.”
Inspector General Jennifer L. Fain of the FDIC-OIG added that the brothers showed a “blatant disregard” for the security of federal systems, noting that the destruction included case management and FOIA processing software.
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The investigation also uncovered that Sohaib had been illegally stockpiling weapons. Despite a 2015 felony conviction for computer fraud that barred him from owning guns, Sohaib acquired several firearms in early 2025. Following a police search in March, he attempted to sell seven of those weapons through a firearm company in Farnham, Virginia, by having his domestic partner complete the sale paperwork.
This case marks a repeat offense for the siblings. In 2015, both Sohaib and Muneeb served federal prison time for similar charges involving computer fraud and unauthorized access to government systems.
Sohaib Akhter is now scheduled for sentencing on September 9. He faces a maximum penalty of 21 years in prison. The conviction follows a massive joint investigation involving the FDIC, Homeland Security, and over a dozen other federal inspectors general.
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