Teen Hacker Bouquet Ransoms Chicago Firms

Federal prosecutors in Chicago say 19-year-old Peter Stokes, the hacker known online as “Bouquet,” was part of Scattered Spider and helped collect millions in ransom. (chicagotribune.com) The criminal complaint says Stokes is a dual U.S.-Estonian citizen who was arrested in Finland on April 10 while trying to board a flight to Japan. He is charged with wire fraud, conspiracy and computer intrusion. (chicagotribune.com) (hackread.com) Prosecutors allege he took part in at least four intrusions and that one of them involved a large Chicago-area corporation whose systems were breached for ransom. The first hack tied to him in the complaint dates to March 2023, a few months after his 16th birthday. (yahoo.com) (cybernews.com) Scattered Spider is the name investigators use for a loose cybercrime network that targets big companies by tricking information-technology help desks into handing over access. After getting in, members steal data, lock systems and demand payment. (yahoo.com) (gbhackers.com) The Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies warned in July 2025 that Scattered Spider had become more sophisticated and was expanding the scale and prestige of its targets. The group is also tracked by the name Octo Tempest. (yahoo.com) (cyberpress.org) The complaint described a lifestyle that prosecutors say was funded by cybercrime proceeds: trips to Dubai, Thailand, New York and Europe, plus cash and jewelry. The Chicago Tribune reported that no defense lawyer was listed for Stokes on the court docket. (chicagotribune.com) (cybernews.com) Other alleged Scattered Spider members have been arrested in recent years, and the Stokes case fits a broader crackdown on a group blamed for attacks on retailers, airlines and gaming companies. U.S. authorities are seeking to bring him from Finland to face the Chicago case. (hoodline.com) (heise.de) For now, the case turns a vague online alias into a named defendant. The next step is extradition and a first appearance in federal court in Chicago. (heise.de) (chicagotribune.com)