Russian man pleads guilty in US in major hacking scheme, faces 35 years in federal prison

A Russian man has pleaded guilty in New Jersey to a role in a computer hacking scheme that authorities say involved stealing and selling 160 million credit and debit card numbers.

Vladimir Drinkman entered his plea Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Camden and admitted taking part in the scheme from 2005 to 2012. He faces up to 35 years in federal prison and then deportation.

U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said in 2013 that the case is the largest hacking scheme ever prosecuted in the U.S.

Three other Russian nationals and a Ukrainian are also charged in the case. Two of them remain at large.

Princeton-based Heartland Payment Systems Inc. was one of the main corporate targets of the scheme.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 15.