United States officials are charging an Iranian hacker in the theft of 1.5 terabytes of data from HBO in May, an attack that tormented network executives and included the release of several unaired programs and scripts.

Behzad Mesri, who went by the pseudonym “Skote Vahshat,” was charged with computer fraud, wire fraud, extortion and identity theft, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday in United States District Court in Manhattan. But he remains in Iran, and officials acknowledged that it would be difficult to detain him.

“He will forever be looking over his shoulder, and if he isn’t, he should be,” Joon H. Kim, acting United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, said at a news conference.

He was accused of trying to extort $6 million worth of Bitcoin from HBO in July, the indictment said.



From May to August, the data theft proved a nightmare for HBO. The hacker gradually released stolen materials on the internet, including unaired episodes of “Ballers,” “Barry,” “Room 104,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “The Deuce.” The hacker also released the script of an episode of “Game of Thrones” that had not yet been broadcast.