A Riverside County man appeared in court this week to face criminal charges after investigators say he hacked into a Hesperia business’ computer system and threatened to release private client data to the dark web unless a ransom was paid.
Rusty James Estrella, 39, of San Jacinto pleaded not guilty Monday to counts of computer fraud and attempted extortion, according to San Bernardino County Superior Court records. He also denied two sentence-enhancing special allegations of having a prior felony conviction.
The investigation began May 26, when a business in the 17200 block of Darwin Avenue received an unnerving message, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department officials said…