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Micfo CEO Amir Golestan sent to 5 years jail for securing 735000 IPv4 addresses using fake companies
Amir Golestan, CEO of Micfo LLC, used a network of fake companies to secure more than 735,000 IPv4 addresses from American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN). 
ARIN sued Golestan and his company in 2018, and the parties settled the dispute. But federal prosecutors took note and filed criminal wire fraud charges against Golestan in 2019. They showed that the shell companies involved the production of notarized affidavits in the names of people who didn’t exist.
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2023/10/tech-ceo-sentenced-to-5-years-in-ip-address-scheme/
Comments
And here I was thinking to acquire some IPv4s and then lease/rent them as it seems like good business.
He will definitely land in mild detention center and will not be raped everyday. And from those 5 y he will serve ~1 - 2 max and be released for "good behavior". This line is made me laugh "$77,000 in restitution to ARIN". When DMCA mafia lands it extorts millions. Meanwhile golestan tainted, violated and abused 735 000 precious IPv4's...
He should have used IPv6
probably cause he is Iran born
xD
I actually got two /24s via two different entities via 4.10. One was with a LET host which was sold. Other /24 I'm keeping with my "homelab" (which is a LLC).
I don't intend to get more.
How much did it cost? What was the process?
Frankly, I do not consider Krebs an expert on anything, but I occasionally look at his blog because it's funny. If anything he's a mildly talented comic.
Well, ARIN, it seems two comics have met.
Mr. Golestan was not sentenced for defrauding ARIN, but rather for one detail of how he acted (non-existing puppet persons).
In fact, ARIN has not been defrauded at all. Mr. Golestan did pay for the IPs.
To add some shame: Did ARIN even care at all? Nope, doesn't look like they did. So it was only later that some prosecutors did what ARIN should have done; they looked into the deal/contracts and deeper than superficially. And those prosecutors would likely have acted just the same if the deal was about geese or car tires. And btw, why would us-american officials care anyway? After all it's the most wasteful country wrt (not only) IP4 addresses.
But thanks for the laugh. That's where Krebs usually doesn't disappoint.
I like how his articles are a really good way to explain a topic to someone in a short amount of time, in a field that usually doesn't make that possible.
But anyway, an interesting turn of events. I know it seems like such a foreign idea to try to make money by being an honest person, but you'd be surprised how many people are just tired of people like Amir.
Full ACK. But then, in a world where the only "god" truly respected and venerated being mammon/profit ugly things like that happening isn't really surprising...
Correct, he is journalist in a specific field of topics. He is not an expert. But, he is experienced man, and that experience goes well beyond mine or yours. This deserves some level of respect by not humiliating that person.
I believe it was a $250 with an IPv6 allocation. You need a justification on how it will help with "IPv6 deployment", so no you won't just get it for the sake of it. Sometimes, you may be asked to use the "waiting list" (or buy IPv4), as my second LLC (that I currently hold) almost went.
You will still have to pay annual ARIN fees of $250 afterwards assuming you have a /40 of IPv6 like I currently do.
Still cheaper than the "market price" $9000 for a /24, or $100-150/mo.
Then you are free to respect him, I have no intention to stand in your way. At the same time kindly respect my right to have my own opinion.