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Palin E-Mail Snoop Gets Year In Prison

Posted by Soulskill on from the and-not-white-collar-resort-prison dept.

netbuzz writes "David Kernell, whose prying into Sarah Palin's personal e-mail account caused an uproar two months before the 2008 presidential election, was today sentenced to a year and a day by a judge in Knoxville, Tenn. Kernell was convicted of misdemeanor computer fraud and felony obstruction of justice back in April. His attorney had argued for probation on the grounds that what Kernell did amounted to a prank that spun out of control."

7 of 417 comments (clear)

  1. Sentence by UninformedCoward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I am pretty sure the actual sentence was 1 year 1 day in custody; to be served at a halfway house.

    The local source - http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=13490313&Call=Email&Format=HTML

  2. Re:As I recall by DurendalMac · · Score: 4, Informative

    Do you see "hacking" in there? He was convicted of computer fraud as he accessed an account that was not his. He also got busted for obstruction of justice by panicking and wiping his drive, which is what landed him the real jail time.

  3. Re:Year and a day? by Moridineas · · Score: 5, Informative

    Or, as the article says, he was sentenced:

    by a judge who recommended that the time be served in a Knoxville, Tenn. halfway house

    A little bit different!!

  4. He should have been a rich banker by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Rich banker gets to escape felony hit and run charges, because the judge felt "a felony charge would hurt his ability to make shit tons of money"

    http://dailybail.com/home/outrage-morgan-stanley-banker-escapes-felony-charges-for-hit.html

  5. Re:Year and a day? by cduffy · · Score: 5, Informative

    Because jails often can only hold people for one year. They give that extra day so he goes to prison instead of jail. ie. it's a worse punishment.

    Actually, no, it's a more lenient sentence -- a year and a day means you're eligible for sentence reductions based on good behavior and the like; any less and you aren't.

  6. Rich HP Pretexter vs. Poor Student Pretexter by theodp · · Score: 4, Informative

    HP Pretexting Charges Dismissed: "Charges against defendants in the Hewlett-Packard pretexting case have been dismissed."

  7. Depends on whether the offender obstructs justice by Quila · · Score: 5, Informative

    Note he only got a misdemeanor, a slap on the wrist, for the actual computer fraud.

    The government does not take obstruction of justice lightly and tends to give stiff sentences for it.

    Aside from that, yes, an attack on an account for political gain to influence an election would reasonably bring a more severe punishment than simply doing it to see if you can. This wasn't just some kid. His dad is a powerful Democratic state legislator and was then a member of Obama's Tennessee campaign. I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't doing dad's bidding, and is taking the fall to avoid ruining dad's career. Expect to see the payoff after this clears up, likely a well-paid position in a Democratic campaign in 2012.

    Personally, I think he deserves extra time just for being stupid by using a single proxy that had a policy of turning over evidence of any illegal activity to the police. :)