Feds: Queens men charged in alleged JFK taxicab hacking scheme

Two Queens men allegedly worked with Russian nationals to hack the taxi dispatch system at Kennedy Airport – allowing drivers who paid the defendants to move to the front of the line – were arrested early Tuesday, according to federal officials.

Daniel Abayev and Peter Leyman, both 48, were each charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion in an indictment unsealed Tuesday, said Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District.

They appeared for arraignment in Manhattan federal court Tuesday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein. They were released on $100,000 bond. A return date has not yet been set. 

Taxi drivers are required to wait in a holding lot at JFK before they are dispatched to pick up a fare. A computer system ensures that the taxis are dispatched in the order in which they arrived. Federal prosecutors say Abayev and Leyman worked with hackers in Russia to break into the system to allow drivers who paid them $10 to move to the front of the line. As many as 1,000 drivers may have inappropriately skipped the line each day, authorities said.

“As alleged in the indictment, these two defendants – with the help of Russian hackers – took the Port Authority for a ride,” said Williams. “For years, the defendants’ hacking kept honest cab drivers from being able to pick up fares at JFK in the order in which they arrived.” 

Jacob Kaplan, an attorney for Abayev, declined  to comment. Matthew Myers, and attorney representing Leyman, did not return requests for comment. 

The alleged scheme took place from September 2019 to September 2021, officials said. Abayev and Leyman began exploring ways to access the system, including bribing somebody to insert a flash drive containing malware into dispatch computers. The defendants also allegedly obtained unauthorized access through a Wi-Fi connection and by stealing tablets connected to the system. 

“I know that the Pentagon is being hacked…So, can’t we hack the taxi industry? Abayev asked one of the hackers in a Nov. 10, 2019, message. 

Drivers learned through word of mouth that they could skip the taxi line by paying $10, prosecutors said in court papers. Members of the scheme waived the fee in exchange for drivers who recruited others. 

The participants in the alleged scheme also used large group chat threads to communicate with drivers, prosecutors said. When the defendants and their colleagues had access to the dispatch system, they would send a message that said “Shop Open” to the group chat. Abayev also sent messages to drivers instructing them how to avoid detection by law enforcement. 

Abayev and Leyman face up to 10 years in prison if convicted