Aren’t these illegal activities fully remote, so to speak?

...yes...because they have no local options that are going to pay nearly as well...

I was making a point that they don’t have to choose an illegal online activity only because there are no local jobs. Making money legally remotely is way easier.

It happens even when the case does not involve Alaska residents like the Mirai people were from New Jersey or the Kelihos botnet guy who was Russian. It's probably just they have a prosecutor who's more versed in computer stuff than in other states but I was hoping there'd be a more interesting reason.