A Kosovar national has pleaded guilty to creating and operating a website and marketplace that offered tools and products to cybercriminals.
The Department of Justice says Ardit Kutleshi, 28, pleaded guilty on Sept. 22 to federal charges of aggravated identity theft and money laundering conspiracy.
Prosecutors say the charges stem from Kutleshi’s creation and operation of Rydox, an illicit website and online marketplace used by cybercriminals to buy, sell, and trade stolen personal information, and to access devices and other tools for carrying out cybercrime and fraud.
Court documents show that since at least 2016, the marketplace conducted more than 7,600 transactions involving stolen personally identifiable information taken from victims in the United States, generating at least $232,000 in revenue.
U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti of the Western District of Pennsylvania addressed the impact of the marketplace on victims.
“These types of cybercrimes cause not only financial loss, but also ongoing psychological harm to the victims who lose both money as well as trust in institutions and the online market infrastructure. Our office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to find and prosecute individuals who attempt to profit from the illegal sharing and sale of other people’s personal information and access devices and related cybercrime.”
Law enforcement in Kosovo arrested Kutleshi in December 2024 and he was extradited to the United States in 2025.
In December 2024, federal authorities judicially seized www.Rydox.cc, the domain that hosted and provided access to the marketplace. The seizure prevented the site’s operators and third parties from using the platform to buy and sell cybercrime tools and stolen identifying information.
FBI Pittsburgh Assistant Special Agent in Charge Amie Loos commented on the impact of taking the domain offline.
“Rydox turned stolen information and criminal tools into a marketplace, making it easier for criminals to convert someone else’s loss into their next crime,” Loos said. “Dismantling this platform was about more than taking a website offline—it was about disrupting the criminal infrastructure that fueled fraud and identity theft against thousands of victims. The FBI, together with our international partners, will continue to impose risk, consequences and accountability on criminals who believe they can hide behind anonymity.”
Investigators say that Kutleshi operated the platform alongside his brother, Jetmir. Jetmir previously pleaded guilty to his role in the operation and was sentenced in December 2025 before being deported back to Kosovo.
Kutleshi is set to be sentenced in February and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft and up to 20 years in prison for the money laundering conspiracy charge.
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