The case has sparked a furious reaction from Russian officials. The Russian authorities have characterized Seleznev’s detention by the United States as kidnapping and a violation of human rights.
"[Seleznev] chose the path of a fraudster," Jones stated, adding that there has been an "extreme loss and devastation" from his actions.
Prosecutors in the US District Court in Seattle have demanded Seleznev serve 30 years in prison for his crimes, which Seleznev's attorney Igor Litvak called "completely inappropriate."
Seleznev was arrested by US Secret Service agents in the Maldives in 2014 and transported to Seattle, Washington to face court. Some 3 million credit cards were suspected of being stolen by Seleznev, though the court was able to prove only 1.7 million stolen cards.
The US Western District Court of Washington has denied to take into consideration the written confession of Russian citizen Roman Seleznev charged with cyber theft, Judge Richard Jones said on Friday.
"The defendant made untruthful statements during testimony and proceedings," Jones stated.
Thirty years in prison is an absolutely inappropriate sentence for Roman Seleznev charged with cybertheft, his defense attorney Igor Litvak stated on Friday.
"The defendant has already suffered a lot in his life," Litvak said. The proposed 30-year sentence is "completely inappropriate."
Seleznev's arrest in the Maldives and extradition to the United States was greatly criticized by the Russian Foreign Ministry, which defined Seleznev's detention as kidnapping and against all norms of international law.
