2007-12-27  TOP STORIES |
Norcross hacker sent to prison
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January 10, 2008
ATLANTA - A federal judge sentenced a Norcross man to five months in prison and five months of home confinement for hacking into his former employer's computer and telecommunications' network.
William Bryant, 38, was sentenced Thursday, Jan. 10 by U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash on a charge of hacking-knowingly causing the transmission of information to a computer used in interstate commerce, and, as a result, intentionally and without authorization causing damage to that computer.
According to U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias and the information presented in court, Bryant is a former employee of Cox Communications, which operates a computer and telecommunications network throughout the United States.
After being asked to resign his position with Cox, Bryant remotely shut down portions of the company's system, causing a loss of computer and telecommunications services, including access to 911 emergency services, for Cox customers in Texas, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Cox technicians restored service within hours.
"Hacking, or intruding into and causing damage to a computer system, is a serious federal offense," Nahmias said. "Hacking causes particular dangers to our nation's critical infrastructure and we will prosecute such attacks aggressively."
In addition to his prison term and home confinement, Bryant must spend two years in supervised release, perform 200 hours of community service and pay restitution of $15,470.
Bryant pleaded guilty to the charges Sept. 26, 2007.
This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence R. Sommerfeld prosecuted the case.
- www.northfulton.com
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Reader Comments
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December 02, 2008 | 09:33 PM
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January 29, 2008 | 10:46 PM
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Rebecca98
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January 29, 2008 | 09:27 PM
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Rebecca98
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January 29, 2008 | 08:40 PM
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Jessica
what 5 white kids are you talking about?
January 18, 2008 | 09:57 AM
...they made an arrest recently?
Andy
i have a clue and u don't
January 12, 2008 | 01:32 PM
If he had hacked into a small companies system the punishment probably would not have been as severe... Ditto for the 5 north fulton white boys who broke into all those cars.... Their punishment will probably be half of what five black boys would receive... No doubt. Wake up dude, you are the one who needs to open up your suburban white eyes.
Bueller
i am white
IWonda2...
January 11, 2008 | 11:13 PM
The "hackers" of today are the "witches" of yesteryear. All this hostility directed towards "hackers"--a term misunderstood by most thanks in large part to newspaper articles like this one--is indicative of the trend.
Andy
He caused trouble with the 911 service !
January 10, 2008 | 09:21 PM
That could have been a life or death matter. His sentence should be severe.
MIT
Are you serious?
January 10, 2008 | 08:50 PM
This jerk was trying to get even with an employer that asked him to resign. He hacked their system and endangered innocent people. This has nothing to do with who his employer was. I'm glad to see they threw the book at him.
Get a clue
