Fired Opexus contractors incriminate themselves by leaving Teams recording running
Court documents reveal Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter failed to stop a Microsoft Teams recording, capturing their discussion of data destruction and potential extortion.
Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter, twin brothers and former employees of federal IT contractor Opexus, have been convicted of deleting 96 US government databases in a single hour following their termination. The brothers, who were fired after Opexus discovered their previous cyberfraud convictions, inadvertently incriminated themselves by failing to stop a Microsoft Teams recording initiated during their dismissal meeting.
Court filings obtained by Ars Technica reveal that on February 18, 2025, HR representatives from Opexus joined a Teams call with the brothers to deliver their termination. Sohaib Akhter started the recording at 4:48pm Eastern Standard Time. When HR staff left the virtual meeting approximately two minutes and 40 seconds later, the recording continued uninterrupted for an hour, capturing the brothers’ subsequent actions and dialogue.
The audio transcript shows the brothers discussing the deletion of backups and the wiping of computers while maintaining access to customer databases, including those for the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Education, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Muneeb Akhter stated he intended to wipe his computer clean, while Sohaib Akhter planned to remote desktop into systems to delete data, noting that the process would take time.
During the recording, the brothers debated whether to demand severance pay or engage in extortion. Sohaib Akhter suggested demanding $25,000 each, while Muneeb Akhter expressed concern that such demands could be used as proof of guilt. They also discussed communicating with customers to leverage payment, though Muneeb argued against threats, fearing it would establish criminal intent.
Sohaib Akhter was found guilty at trial last week. Muneeb Akhter pleaded guilty in April 2026 but is currently attempting to withdraw his plea through handwritten letters to the judge. Both brothers remain in federal prison; although they discussed relocating to Texas to evade detection, neither is currently in that state.
