A Van Nuys man was sentenced Thursday to three years’ probation and ordered to pay a $500 fine for scheming to market and sell malware that gave purchasers control over computers and enabled them to steal victims’ private communications, login credentials and other personal information.

Edmond Chakhmakhchyan, 25, pleaded guilty in April to a federal conspiracy charge for advertising a device as an interception device, transmitting a code to intentionally cause damage to protected computers and to intentionally access a computer to obtain information, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Chakhmakhchyan was facing up to five years behind bars at sentencing.

The indictment filed in Los Angeles federal court last year describes an agreement between the malware’s creator and Chakhmakhchy

See Full Page