share Print A Russian hacker considered to be one of the world's most notorious spammers was sentenced by a U.S. judge on July 20 to time already served in pretrial detention. Pyotr Levashov has already served 33 months in custody on federal charges he operated a network of hijacked computers -- known as botnets -- to steal computer credentials, distribute spam, and install malicious software. The 40-year-old pleaded guilty in 2018 to causing intentional damage to a protected computer, conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Robert Chatigny said the financial harm caused by the spamming was overstated in a presentencing report that recommended a sentence of at least 12 years.