Journalist Matthew Keys, who was convicted in October on three counts of computer hacking, was sentenced to 24 months in prison today.
Keys was convicted of giving Anonymous-linked hackers the login credentials to the Los Angeles Times website. Those credentials were used to deface a headline on one article, making it read: “Pressure builds in House to elect CHIPPY 1337.”
The federal government was seeking a five-year prison term.
The sentencing turned out to be more dramatic than expected, and, for a moment, looked as if the judge may be lenient with Keys’s sentence.
Sarah Jeong, a Motherboard reporter, livetweeted the trial.
Judge has found that actual loss for sentencing purposes is what was shown at trial. This is huge.
— sarah jeong (@sarahjeong) April 13, 2016
Presentencing report said about $249k. Prosecution showed about $13k loss to the Tribune Company at trial.
— sarah jeong (@sarahjeong) April 13, 2016
Court wants to compare to sentencing in the other Anonymous cases. Prosecutor is pisssssssed.
— sarah jeong (@sarahjeong) April 13, 2016
I’d say things are swinging in Keys’s favor but jail time is still on table
— sarah jeong (@sarahjeong) April 13, 2016
Gaines on behalf of the LA Times is saying that defacing the news website was an attack on the fourth estate
— sarah jeong (@sarahjeong) April 13, 2016
Judge: “I think the parties agree, it’s not the crime of the century.”
— sarah jeong (@sarahjeong) April 13, 2016
Judge: “Has he learned his lesson? This is a question the court is considering.”
— sarah jeong (@sarahjeong) April 13, 2016
The Daily Dot has reached out to Keys’s lawyer, Jay Liderman, and will update should we hear back.
