Does Hacking Grades Warrant 20 Years in Jail?

While there have been many students who decided they would rather change their grades than come by them the usual way, the punishments for the most part have been pretty reasonable. However, the latest chapter in this type of behavior finds two culprits facing a $250,000 fine and 20 years in jail based on the number of charges leveled against them. "The guys have been charged with "unauthorized computer access, identity theft, conspiracy, and wire fraud." Obviously, these guys did a bad thing, but it's hard to see how the possible sentence matches with the crime. Of course, it seems unlikely that any judge would give them the maximum sentence, but even hearing that it's possible just for changing your grades seems ridiculous."

Comments

Simple Solution

[acoustix]

Don't break the law.

I didn't place a lot of importance on my grades throughout school, but it's been proven that a person's grades affects many aspects of life. Other than employment grades affect financial assistance, insurances rates, and even leniency in the legal system. While grades aren't really legally binding in a court of law for anything many judges and juries will take good grades into consideration because statistics show that they tend to be law-abiding citizens. In a round-about way if you're falsifying grades then you're stealing financial assistance, cheating insurance companies, etc.

Nick

Re:Fairer

[LiquidCoooled]

Well, what a shame this rule wasn't in place when I was at college.
I changed my grade to an A* grade in cunnilingus.

Re:Confusing The Issue

[plaxion]

Ok, now I'm confused... what if I steal the slurpy and then beat the clerk to death with my laptop instead of shooting him? And while we're at it, can I petition the court for "time served" if the laptop had Vista on it?