US National Charged in Finnish Psychotherapy Center Extortion

Comments (5) on “US National Charged in Finnish Psychotherapy Center Extortion”

1. I have a particular interest in the Nordic countries so I looked to see if there was an article on this and found this one:

   https://therecord.media/finland-vastaamo-hack-us-national-charged

   There is one thing about this news that baffles me:

   “Kivimäki, who denied all the charges against him, has been in custody since 2023, when he was arrested in France and extradited to Finland. His release on appeal last week does not overturn his previous conviction and sentence for six years and three months, but under Finnish law he is presumed innocent while appealing the conviction.”

   Why in the world would they release a guy like this who is already in custody?

   I’m glad they caught the U.S. national, of course, but how do you release a guy responsible for this:

   “The hack of Vastaamo took place in 2018, but was made public in 2020 when Kivimäki allegedly began to extort individual patients by threatening to publish their stolen information and therapy details online unless they paid him.
   More than 24,000 people reported receiving such an extortion attempt to the Finnish police — a record number of victims in a criminal trial. According to reports, many of the victims were children or receiving treatment for severe trauma.”

   As you stated, this is “one of Europe’s most disturbing cybercrime cases. I can certainly see why. How Finnish officials can release someone like this is beyond me. How do they know he won’t do something evil while out on appeal?

   This reinforces my opinion that sentencing in the Nordic countries is worse than sentencing in the U.S. (which is certainly far from perfect).

   Thank you for reporting on this, John.

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   Reply

   1. You’re welcome, Chris. I checked out the article you shared, and you’re right — it lines up directly with what we reported. The baffling part is exactly what you highlighted: how a man convicted on more than 20,000 counts of extortion, tied to one of the most disturbing cybercrimes in Europe’s history, can walk free under the presumption of innocence during appeal. On paper it’s legal procedure, but in practice it looks like a system failing the very people it’s supposed to protect. The Vastaamo hack was psychological warfare against the most vulnerable — children, trauma survivors, people in crisis — and releasing the man responsible for orchestrating it sends a message that justice is negotiable. You’re right to call out the sentencing gap between the Nordic countries and the U.S., because this is where leniency mutates into danger.

      I appreciate you sharing that link and digging deeper, Chris, because it strengthens the record and underscores why we can’t treat this case as just another headline.

      Thanks again, Chris — always greatly appreciated. 😎

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      Reply

      1. You’re welcome, John, and thank you for your good reply.
         I just heard this morning that the guy who stabbed the Ukrainian refugee on the N.C. train was a repeat offender who had spent time in prison. I know our judges can never predict what these guys are going to do when they are released but how many times have we heard similar stories about repeat offenders? So, our justice system certainly has it’s limits and we’ve both read of times some guy who shouldn’t have ever seen the light of day out of prison is guilty of some evil act after being released.
         As I’m sure you know, sentencing varies from state to state and some states do a pretty good job of keeping the bad guys in prison for a long time but there are other states that do an awful job.
         So, it is hard to compare with Finland but I think this guy wouldn’t be released in almost any part of the U.S. And I know other things about the Nordic countries that make me wonder about the many short sentences they sometimes administer.

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      2. You’re welcome, Chris — you’re right, the repeat offender problem is one of the hardest limits of any justice system. No judge, no parole board, can perfectly predict what someone will do once they’re released, but the patterns are all too familiar: people with violent pasts walking free and committing more harm. That’s where the system fails the very people it’s meant to protect.

         You make a strong point about state-by-state sentencing. Some states keep dangerous offenders locked away for decades, while others lean toward rehabilitation and shorter sentences — and the results are uneven at best. Comparing that to Finland, where sentences are often far lighter, you’re correct: this attacker likely wouldn’t have been released so quickly in most parts of the U.S. But your larger point cuts deeper — whether here or abroad, when sentencing doesn’t line up with the reality of repeat behavior, the public ends up paying the price.

         Thank you for bringing this perspective, Chris — justice is more than process, it’s about protecting lives. Always appreciate you engaging with these reports. I hope you have a great day! 😎

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      3. You’re welcome and thank you for the reply, John. Justice is about protecting lives, indeed.
         Thank you for your kind words. I hope you have a great day as well!

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