Nicosia, Cyprus. Joshua Polloso Epiphaniou, 27, is representing himself in a Cypriot murder case after disagreements with two lawyers over the conduct of his defence. The case is believed to be the first in Cyprus in which a defendant has been charged with murder despite the alleged victim’s body not being found.
Criminal cases and extradition
Epiphaniou, known in English-language media as “the little hacker” and in Greek-language reporting as “the hacker”, has been involved in four criminal cases over the past decade.
He became the first Cypriot citizen extradited to the United States, where he was convicted of cyber-extortion in March 2021 and sentenced to one year in federal prison.
Personal background
Epiphaniou has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. His former lawyer, Eleni Erotokritou, told the Cyprus Mail in 2020, during the extradition proceedings, that his circumstances might have been different had he been born into a wealthy and socially prominent Cypriot family.
His mother, Vivina Polloso, is a Filipina who became a naturalised Cypriot citizen. His father, a Cypriot police officer, did not take part in his upbringing and recognised him only following a paternity test and extended family court proceedings.
Michael Chambers, who represented Epiphaniou around the time of his extradition, described Vivina Polloso as a polite and kind woman concerned about her son.