Hacker gets 20 years for stealing credit card data

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By DENISE LAVOIE

BOSTON (AP) - A computer hacker from Miami who orchestrated one of the largest theft of credit and debit card numbers in U.S. history was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison after he apologized for leading a scheme that cost companies, banks and insurers nearly $200 million.

Albert Gonzalez, a one-time federal informant, pleaded guilty last year to breaking into the computer networks of major retailers, including TJX Cos., BJ's Wholesale Club, Barnes & Noble, OfficeMax, and the restaurant chain Dave & Buster's.

U.S. District Judge Patti Saris sentenced Gonzalez to the middle of the 15- to 25-year range spelled out in a plea agreement Gonzalez reached with prosecutors.

Just before he was sentenced, the 28-year-old Gonzalez apologized as his mother, father and sister watched from the front row of the courtroom. His father wept softly and dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief.

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20100325/D9ELT3680.html

[Skittles]

1. good

I hope he serves every damn day of it

[Zavulon]

2. As a victim of credit card data theft in 1998,

I see no reason why this shouldn't be a life sentence. I'm still cleaning up the mess in my life after some asshole used my card number to charge $56,000+ of phone calls and probably won't have fully restored my credit until well over 20 years after it all started. I hope his sentence is as miserable as possible.

[Jkid]

3. Unbeleiveable

You spent 12 years of cleaning up. That is horrible. But sadly, he's may be going to a medium-security prison.

[hatesthegop]

4. Not only that he'll do 16 years

and then get sent to a half way house for a year.

[The Green Manalishi]

5. Deserves a PYITA federal prison.

[Toucano]

7. You're advocating raping someone?

You may want to check your membership card to make sure you belong here.

[jmowreader]

6. The Chinese have an interesting way to keep this from happening again

In China, major economic crimes are capital offenses, and they are because the Chinese people have a long and honorable tradition of making runs on the banks at the slightest hint of financial impropriety.

I don't know what the proper point where credit card fraud should be a hangin' offense, but I gotta tell ya: if they had public seppuku for hackers, the little fuckers would knock that shit off!

[Toucano]

8. What is going on here tonight?

Now we've got someone advocating China's criminal justice policies? CHINA? As in one of the worst human rights violators in the world China?

Must be the hour.

[jmowreader]

9. Y'know, you don't ACTUALLY have to kill anyone to get the point across

We just stick a few of these little numbnuts on death row for oh...say twenty to twenty-five years. It takes lots of appeals and stuff before you can hang anyone, and of course we'll have to figure out what the hell they did before we can handle the appeals. Eventually we commute them to life without parole...but the fact someone's sitting on Death Row for hacking might be enough to dissuade a few of these punks from trying it themselves.

[Toucano]

10. Yes, let China's method be the model of truth and justice for the world.

That's crazy talk!

:crazy: