US Prosecutors Allege Forensic Software Firm Hid Russian Ownership From European Agencies
A US-based digital forensics company sold software to numerous European security agencies while concealing its Russian ownership and development, according to federal prosecutors in the United States. Oxygen Forensics, headquartered in Virginia, appeared to be an American firm but was allegedly controlled by Russian nationals who developed the software in Russia. The company’s CEO, Lee Reiber, and one of its Russian owners, Oleg Davydov, were arrested in late September on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Prosecutors say the company hid its Russian ties through a shell company in Cyprus, helping it secure public contracts in the US, UK, Czech Republic, Latvia, Romania, and Slovakia. The software, which helps investigators access data from mobile phones and computers, was used by police and security agencies across Europe. Several bodies have now suspended its use or terminated contracts following the revelations.
Slovak Ministry Under Scrutiny
The Slovak interior ministry purchased the software in 2018 as part of a broader procurement for computers and other equipment, with the forensic tool itself costing €10,000. The ministry renewed its licence multiple times, most recently in July 2024 under Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok. At the time of the 2018 purchase, links to Russia were not publicly known, and the ministry has said its IT department officials are investigating the issue.
Slovakia’s National Security Authority (NBÚ) issued a warning on 2 October about the risks of software from Oxygen Forensics and connected companies MKO Systems and Prostranstvo IT. The NBÚ noted that the software can process vast amounts of information, including evidence, and that ownership, control, and development are important for data protection and reliability of analysis. The authority considers links to Russia significant in assessing security risk, especially given Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.
European Response and Arrests
Belgian Green MEP Saskia Bricmont called for an immediate halt to the use of Oxygen software and an inquiry into whether sensitive information could have reached Russia. The tool was also used by Czech police, whose security agencies continued purchasing licences after 2022, though they have now prohibited software updates pending further information from the United States. London’s Metropolitan Police suspended use of the tools and launched a comprehensive review, while Latvian police suspended use and Romania’s anti-corruption agency took steps to terminate its contract.
Reiber, 55, was arrested in Idaho on Sunday and appeared before a federal court there on Tuesday, 22 September, where he was released on bail. Davydov, 52, from Moscow, was arrested the same day at London Heathrow before a flight to Istanbul, and the US plans to seek his extradition. Prosecutors stated that the charges do not concern malicious code or unauthorised access to customer data, but rather the alleged concealment of the software’s ownership and origin in securing public contracts. No court has yet ruled on the case.
