The alleged mastermind behind a five-day, email-phishing attack targeting Los Angeles County Superior Court email accounts was arrested in Houston last week following a criminal investigation by the District Attorney's Cyber Investigation Response Team.

Deputy District Attorney Donn Hoffman of the Cyber Crimes Division said Oriyomi Sadiq Aloba (dob 2/9/86) is charged in a felony complaint for arrest warrant with 18 felony counts: 12 counts of false personation; five counts of altering public safety computer data, software or program; and one count of multiple identifying information theft. Case BA462569 also includes excessive-taking allegations of more than $100,000.

Aloba, who was arrested without incident on Nov. 15 at his home by the District Attorney's Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the FBI Los Angeles and Houston Cyber Task Force, the Houston Police Department and the Harris County Sheriff's Office, will be arraigned on Friday, Dec. 1, at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.

In July, more than 500 Superior Court employees received email messages that attempted to trick users into revealing their account credentials by directing them to visit bogus websites that appeared to be those of legitimate companies. Fewer than a dozen Superior Court employees were affected by the breach and the court determined that no case information, court data or financial data was compromised.

Prosecutors have recommended that the defendant's bail be set at $1.1 million. If convicted as charged, Aloba faces up to 14 years, four months in state prison.

Los Angeles District Attorney / Case BA462569 / November 21, 2017