Men with Russian links charged with conspiracy to infiltrate US Secret Service
September 28, 2026
by intelNews
TWO MEN HAVE BEEN charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud after allegedly concealing a software company’s Russian ownership from the United States government and trying to work as contractors for the Secret Service. Founded in 1865 and currently operating under the Department of Homeland Security, the Secret Service is a federal law enforcement agency with a dual mission of protecting America’s national leaders and investigating financial crimes.
On September 20, American and British authorities arrested Lee Reiber, a 55-year-old American who served as chief executive officer (CEO) of Oxygen Forensics, and Oleg Davydov, a 52-year-old Russian national, who co-founded the company and served as its chief technology officer. Reiber was arrested in the US state of Idaho and Davydov was apprehended at London Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom prior to boarding a flight to Istanbul, Turkey. The US is expected to seek his extradition in the coming days. Shortly prior to the arrests of the two men, US authorities reportedly seized 57 internet domains, cyber infrastructure, and corporate bank accounts owned by the firm.
Based in Alexandria, Virginia, Oxygen Forensics develops software to recover, preserve and analyze electronic data from digital devices. Davydov originally founded a Russian-based predecessor company, Oxygen Software LLC (renamed to MKO Systems LLC in September 2022), in 2000. That company sold the same software directly to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), and Ministry of Internal Affairs. Davydov established Oxygen Forensics in 2013, with Reiber joining in 2015. In March 2022, one month after the invasion of Ukraine and the US-imposed sanctions on Russia, Reiber was named its CEO, president, and chairman of the board.
According to court filings, the firm’s Russian owners were removed from the company’s public corporate filings following Reiber’s appointment that same month. Prosecutors allege Davydov and four other Russian nationals continued to secretly own and control the company through a Cyprus-based holding company. According to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint, affected entities include the US Department of Defense and three components of the US Department of Homeland Security.
In December 2022 and October 2023, Reiber reportedly told authorities that Oxygen Forensics had no immediate or highest-level owner and that it was an independent US-based company—a claim he repeated as recently as March 2026. However, in an internal email uncovered by investigators, Reiber warned Davydov that exposure of the Russian ties could “destroy this entire opportunity”, referring to a pending contract, and that the company’s “existence hangs in the balance”. That contract—a five-year deal with the Secret Service’s National Computer Forensics Institute—was awarded in September 2024.
Prosecutors dispute Reiber’s denial of Russian involvement in the company, stating that the Russian owners continued to control major decisions, overruling Reiber on payments, and holding signatory authority over the company’s bank accounts. They also maintain that the company’s software was developed and managed by a team in Russia. They have not alleged, however, that the software contained malicious code, or that it was used to gain unauthorized access to government systems or data.
If convicted, Reiber and Davydov face a maximum sentence of 20 years each in federal prison.
► Author: Molly Jones | Date: 28 September 2026 | Permalink
Men with Russian links charged with conspiracy to infiltrate US Secret Service
September 28, 2026 by intelNews Leave a comment
On September 20, American and British authorities arrested Lee Reiber, a 55-year-old American who served as chief executive officer (CEO) of Oxygen Forensics, and Oleg Davydov, a 52-year-old Russian national, who co-founded the company and served as its chief technology officer. Reiber was arrested in the US state of Idaho and Davydov was apprehended at London Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom prior to boarding a flight to Istanbul, Turkey. The US is expected to seek his extradition in the coming days. Shortly prior to the arrests of the two men, US authorities reportedly seized 57 internet domains, cyber infrastructure, and corporate bank accounts owned by the firm.
Based in Alexandria, Virginia, Oxygen Forensics develops software to recover, preserve and analyze electronic data from digital devices. Davydov originally founded a Russian-based predecessor company, Oxygen Software LLC (renamed to MKO Systems LLC in September 2022), in 2000. That company sold the same software directly to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), and Ministry of Internal Affairs. Davydov established Oxygen Forensics in 2013, with Reiber joining in 2015. In March 2022, one month after the invasion of Ukraine and the US-imposed sanctions on Russia, Reiber was named its CEO, president, and chairman of the board.
According to court filings, the firm’s Russian owners were removed from the company’s public corporate filings following Reiber’s appointment that same month. Prosecutors allege Davydov and four other Russian nationals continued to secretly own and control the company through a Cyprus-based holding company. According to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint, affected entities include the US Department of Defense and three components of the US Department of Homeland Security.
In December 2022 and October 2023, Reiber reportedly told authorities that Oxygen Forensics had no immediate or highest-level owner and that it was an independent US-based company—a claim he repeated as recently as March 2026. However, in an internal email uncovered by investigators, Reiber warned Davydov that exposure of the Russian ties could “destroy this entire opportunity”, referring to a pending contract, and that the company’s “existence hangs in the balance”. That contract—a five-year deal with the Secret Service’s National Computer Forensics Institute—was awarded in September 2024.
Prosecutors dispute Reiber’s denial of Russian involvement in the company, stating that the Russian owners continued to control major decisions, overruling Reiber on payments, and holding signatory authority over the company’s bank accounts. They also maintain that the company’s software was developed and managed by a team in Russia. They have not alleged, however, that the software contained malicious code, or that it was used to gain unauthorized access to government systems or data.
If convicted, Reiber and Davydov face a maximum sentence of 20 years each in federal prison.
► Author: Molly Jones | Date: 28 September 2026 | Permalink
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Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Cyprus, Lee Reiber, News, Oleg Davydov, Oxygen Forensics, Russia, United States, US Secret Service