Extradition Greenlit for Hacker Linked to ExxonMobil's Climate Lobbying Efforts

Amit Forlit is charged with running a hacking operation that resulted in the theft of sensitive data impacting over 100 victims, as part of a concerted effort to aid oil industry lobbying efforts.

A London court has authorized the extradition of Amit Forlit, a 57-year-old Israeli man charged with orchestrating a "hacking-for-hire" scheme aimed at environmental organizations. U.S. prosecutors allege that Forlit's businesses generated over $16 million by infiltrating more than 100 entities and misappropriating confidential information for a lobbying firm advocating on behalf of ExxonMobil.

Mr. Forlit's legal team publicly identified ExxonMobil in court documents from January, amid ongoing lawsuits against the oil giant. These suits, initiated by Democratic attorneys general and other officials, accuse Exxon of deliberately obscuring its knowledge about climate change to sustain its fossil fuel operations. The lobbying firm implicated, DCI Group, has publicly denied any wrongdoing.

ExxonMobil rebuffed claims of its involvement with hacking, emphasizing, “If there was any hacking involved, we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.” DCI's spokesperson, Craig Stevens, assured that their personnel are instructed to adhere to the law and refuted any claims of involvement with the hacking incidents from a decade ago, attributing them instead to "radical anti-oil activists" and conspiracy theories propagated against the firm.