A 19-year-old staffer working on the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative has been linked to a cybercrime ring accused of hacking, harassment, and data theft. According to a Reuters investigation, Edward Coristine — known online by the alias “Big Balls” — previously operated a tech company that supported the cybercrime group EGodly.
Digital records show that Coristine’s company, DiamondCDN, provided hosting and DDoS protection services to EGodly’s leak site, dataleak.fun, from late 2022 into mid-2023. In February 2023, the group publicly credited DiamondCDN for its support on Telegram, thanking the service for helping keep their operations online.
EGodly has claimed responsibility for SIM swapping attacks, infiltrating law enforcement email accounts, and coordinating harassment campaigns. In one case, the group allegedly published personal information belonging to an FBI agent and attempted a “swatting” attack — a hoax emergency call designed to trigger a heavily armed police response. While not all claims have been independently verified, a retired FBI agent confirmed the group’s involvement.
Coristine’s ties to EGodly have raised serious concerns due to his recent advisory roles with the State Department and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). “The proximity of someone with ties to a known cybercriminal group to U.S. government networks is deeply troubling,” said Nitin Natarajan, former deputy director of CISA, in the Reuters report.
Neither Coristine nor DOGE representatives have responded to requests for comment. The State Department and CISA have also declined to clarify Coristine’s current access or involvement in government operations.
