Sentencing isn't scheduled until September 6th, 2019, although Levashov will remain "detained" until then. Spanish authorities arrested him in April 2017 (his wife incorrectly attributed it to election hacking) and extradited him in February 2018.

Arrests and convictions over botnets are nothing new, but this plea represents a symbolic victory for American law enforcement. Levashov is a rare example of a veteran botnet creator, having started in the late 1990s. Officials have previously linked him to the Storm and Waledac botnets, for instance. His prison time won't lead to a sharp drop in botnets, but it may serve as a warning to other career bot jockeys.