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 "Homeless hacker" pleads guilty at the court
January 9, 2004
Adrian Lamo pleaded guilty in federal court in New York City to one count of computer damage that caused more than $5000 in losses to The New York Times Co. Lamo agreed to enter the plea as part of an agreement struck with prosecutors because "The alternative would essentially destroy my family. I've always said that for every action I've ever taken, I'm willing to own up to the consequences."
Under the agreement, Lamo will serve an expected prison term of between six months and one year, however, U.S. District Judge Naomi Buchwald will have the final say at a sentencing hearing set for April 8.
"I knew I crossed the line...I am genuinely remorseful," said Lamo at the Thursday's hearing.
Lamo pleaded guilty to hacking into The New York Times' internal computer network between February and April of 2002. In the incident, confirmed at the time, Lamo said he was able to view employee records, and personal information, including Social Security and phone numbers. He said he could access the contact information for the paper's sources and columnists, including such well-known contributors as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former Marine Col. Oliver North.
While inside New York Times network, Lamo had set up five fictitious user accounts under the New York Times' account with LexisNexis, an online subscription service that provides news and other information for a fee and conducted more than 3000 searches.
The charges against Lamo also involved running up The New York Times' bill for LexisNexis, which initially was about $300000, but on Thursday, the estimate was reduced to between $30000 and $70000.
In an earlier interviews with CNET News.com, before his surrender to the FBI in August, Lamo claimed to be responsible for intrusions into systems at MCI WorldCom in December 2001, Microsoft in October 2001, Yahoo in September 2001 and Excite@Home in May 2001. When he entered Yahoo's system, Lamo said, he was able to alter news articles on the company's site.
Any such intrusion could violate the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which punishes anyone who "intentionally accesses a computer without authorization or exceeds authorized access." Penalties involve fines and between one and five years in prison, depending on the charges.
Lamo is known for his unconventional lifestyle. Before he was ordered to return to the Sacramento, Calif., area to live with his parents, Lamo had no fixed address and instead wandered around the United States on Greyhound buses, living in vacant or derelict buildings.
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