No, it was not the FBI that locked the screens of computer users and demanded payment for fines as the ransomware known as Reveton claimed on the machines it infected. But it was the work of the FBI, along with federal and international partners, that helped lock up one of the people involved in the scheme.

Raymond Uadiale, of Maple Valley, Washington, didn’t create or spread the malware, but he helped its distributor cash out and launder the payments made by victims after taking some of the profit for himself. For his part in the crime, Uadiale pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and will spend 18 months in prison.

“He was the one who helped keep it going,” said Special Agent Christopher Rizzo, who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “It would not have been profitable without his role in it.”

Computer users who inadvertently downloaded the ransomware would find their computers locked behind a splash screen claiming they had violated federal laws by visiting illicit websites or downloading illegal files. These screens would display the logo of the FBI or another law enforcement entity along with false threats of legal action.