Kevin Mitnick, the hacker who broke into computer networks and stole credit card numbers and software, was today sentenced to 46 months in prison by a federal judge in Los Angeles.
Mitnick, 35, who has already spent more than four years in prison, should be eligible for release by early 2000, according to both prosecution and defense lawyers in the case.
Depending on how the Federal Bureau of Prisons calculates time off for good behavior, Mitnick could be released as early as January 2000, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Painter and defense lawyer Donald Randolph.
U.S. District Court Judge Mariana Pfaelzer also ordered Mitnick to pay over $4,000 in restitution, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Schindler said. The judge acknowledged the amount was a "token" sum compared to the $1.5 million prosecutors asked for. Mitnick did not have the ability to pay more, Schindler said.
Investigators arrested Mitnick in 1995 following a well-publicized manhunt that was the subject of the book entitled "Takedown." He was charged with 25 counts of wire and computer fraud for breaking into the networks of companies, including Sun, Novell and Motorola. Mitnick has been in federal custody since his arrest.
In March, Mitnick pleaded guilty to seven counts of the 25 charges originally filed against him, plus another two charges filed separately by federal prosecutors in Northern California.
Previously, Mitnick was sentenced to an additional 22 months in prison for two unrelated charges. He was arrested in North Carolina in 1995 for possessing cloned cellular phones. And in 1989 he violated the terms of a supervised release imposed after he was convicted of computer fraud. The 46-month and 22-month terms are to be served consecutively, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office said.
During the hearing, the judge turned down Randolph's request that Mitnick be immediately released into a halfway house. Nonetheless, Randolph said he was pleased that Mitnick was not required to pay more in restitution.
The sentence reflected the seriousness of Mitnick's crimes, Schindler said.
"We hope hackers or anybody who is intent on gaining unauthorized access to computers will recognize that there are serious penalties and consequences associated with such conduct," he said.
On Friday, California prosecutors dropped state charges against Mitnick of illegally accessing a U.S. Department of Motor Vehicles computer in 1993 and retrieving confidential information. Those charges, which could have added several more months to Mitnick's prison time, were dropped because Mitnick never used a computer, said Deputy District Attorney Daniel Bershin. Rather, Mitnick called the DMV, posing as a welfare fraud inspector to get the DMV to access information for him. "He was incorrectly charged," Bershin said.
Reaction: Here's what some Fusion users are saying about this article:
What do you think? Add your comments to the thread
RELATED LINKS
What do you think? Add your comments to the thread
