The Department of Justice (DOJ) sure is busy lately, particularly when it comes to nabbing men from Virginia who are allegedly up to no good. On Thursday, it was Woodbridge resident Brian Cole, Jr., who is a suspect in the RNC/DNC pipe bomb case from 2021. And just a day before Cole was taken into custody, the DOJ announced it had nabbed two brothers from Springfield on charges the duo conspired "to destroy government databases hosted by a federal government contractor."
RELATED: New: J6 Pipe Bomb Suspect ID'd - Officials Outline Extraordinary Effort Put Into Tracking Him Down
According to Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, twins Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter, 34, were indicted last month for abusing "their positions as federal contractors to attack government databases and steal sensitive government information. Their actions jeopardized the security of government systems and disrupted agencies’ ability to serve the American people."
GOVERNMENT DATA DELETED: Federal prosecutors say twin brothers Muneeb Akhter and Sohaib Akhter were arrested for allegedly conspiring to wipe U.S. government databases hosted by a federal contractor. pic.twitter.com/LGa6KSHFaC
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 4, 2025
The indictments came months after news report detailed how the brothers allegedly compromised the data of several federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service and the General Services Administration. They had worked as federal contractors and were let go from their jobs earlier this year; following their terminations, it looks like they decided to extract revenge by tampering with government databases. Per the DOJ:
Following the termination of their employment, the brothers allegedly sought to harm the company and its U.S. government customers by accessing computers without authorization, issuing commands to prevent others from modifying the databases before deletion, deleting databases, stealing information, and destroying evidence of their unlawful activities.
The indictment alleges that on or about Feb. 18, Muneeb Akhter deleted approximately 96 databases storing U.S. government information. Many of these databases contained records and documents related to Freedom of Information Act matters administered by federal government departments and agencies, as well as sensitive investigative files of federal government components.
Court documents further allege that approximately one minute after deleting a DHS database, Muneeb Akhter asked an artificial intelligence tool how to clear system logs following the deletion of databases.
As if these allegations weren't bad enough, it turns out this isn't the first time the Akhter brothers have dealt with the DOJ. Back in 2015, they were indicted by a federal grand jury on very similar charges – specifically "conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to access a protected computer without authorization and conspiracy to access a government computer without authorization" – and the two eventually did time in the slammer for their offenses. Muneeb got 39 months in prison and Sohaib was sentenced to 24 months in prison, with each also sentenced to three years of supervised release.
It looks like once they cleared those years of supervision, they were free to return to wreaking havoc. So, we once again find ourselves asking questions about vetting processes. How in the world were these two convicts eligible to work around government data considering their sordid pasts?
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member