Twins fired from a government contractor retaliated by deleting 96 government-related databases.

A federal jury has found twin brothers guilty of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, password trafficking, and possession of prohibited firearms after they were fired from Opexus, a company that provides software and services to federal agencies, for allegedly hacking into the company's network shortly after their dismissal and deleting 96 government-related databases hosted by Opexus.

Office of Public Affairs | Federal Jury Convicts Virgina Man on Charges Relating to the Deletion of US Government Databases | United States Department of Justice

Twin brothers wipe 96 gov't databases minutes after being fired - Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/drop-database-what-not-to-do-after-losing-an-it-job/

Opexus claims background checks missed red flags on twins accused of insider breach | CyberScoop
https://cyberscoop.com/opexus-background-checks-insider-attack-muneeb-sohaib-akhter/

This case involves defendants Sohaive Aktel and Munib Aktel, residents of Alexandria, Virginia. In 2015, the two were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and hacking, and Munib was sentenced to three years in prison, while Sohaive Aktel was sentenced to two years.

Opexus conducted a background check but failed to notice any criminal records, and hired defendant Munib in 2023, followed by defendant Sohaib in 2024.

According to records, on February 1, 2025, defendant Munib requested the plaintext password of an individual who had filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) portal, which was managed by Opexus. Defendant Sohaive manipulated the EEOC database to obtain the password and provided it to Defendant Munib. Defendant Munib allegedly used the password to access the user's email account. Such actions were repeated multiple times, and there were also instances where the victim's frequent flyer miles were used without their consent to book flights.

Upon realizing that the Acter brothers had a criminal record, Opexus held a remote meeting on February 18, 2025, to inform them of their termination.

Within five minutes of the meeting where they received their termination notices, the Actel brothers illegally accessed Opexus's internal network. They accessed U.S. government-related databases managed by Opexus, restricted other users from writing to the databases, and then executed commands to delete them. In one hour, 96 databases were deleted, and 1,805 files related to EEOC were copied to a USB drive, and it is believed that they obtained federal tax information for at least 450 people.

During a search on March 12, 2025, a large number of firearms were discovered at Sohaive's home, which should not have been possessed by someone with a criminal record. The two were ultimately arrested on December 3, 2025, and charged on multiple charges. CyberScoop reports that Sohaive faces up to six years in prison, while Munib faces a minimum of four years for identity theft and up to 45 years for other crimes including computer fraud and theft of government records.

Furthermore, on April 15, 2026, defendant Munib made a plea deal in which he admitted to the main charges in the indictment.

Sohaive fought the case, and Munib sent a letter from prison stating that he 'believed in his brother's innocence,' but a federal jury found him guilty of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, selling passwords, and illegal possession of firearms. The specific verdict is scheduled to be handed down in September 2026.