Kentucky Anonymous Member Indicted Three Years After FBI Raid (arstechnica.com)

A federal grand jury has indicted "KYAnonymous" -- more than three years after FBI agents raided and searched his home -- and charged him under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. An anonymous Slashdot reader quotes an article from Ars Technica: After The New York Times published an account [late in 2012] of a horrific rape against a teenage girl in Steubenville, Ohio, an online vigilante campaign was started...the campaign targeted local officials who the vigilantes felt weren't prosecuting the rape investigation seriously because the alleged perpetrators were high school football players... Two teenage boys ended up being charged, and when the case went to trial in March 2013, the two were convicted of rape and sentenced to one to two years in prison.
The indictment says Deric Lostutter "knowingly and intentionally joined and voluntarily participated in a conspiracy" to "harass and intimidate and to gain publicity for their online identities," according to the Lexington Herald-Leader. "If convicted in the Kentucky case, Lostutter could face a maximum penalty of 16 years in prison (no more than five years on each of three counts, and one year on a fourth)..."

"The federal search warrant of Lostutter's home listed 'Guy Fawkes masks' among the items agents were looking for."

Comments

Time to bring up the due process motions

[Anonymous Coward]

3 years after collecting evidence?

What, was the Grand Jury out for coffee?

The sad thing is they're going for more time than the real offenders.

I say we tell the Kentucky US Attorney about more serious crimes that could be occurring in her jurisdiction. Ones that would be a better use of taxpayer monies.

Rape is worth 1-2?

[Anonymous Coward]

But trying to get people to investigate it is 15 years?

Re:Rape is worth 1-2?

[Black Parrot]

He wasn't on the football team.

Re:Rape is worth 1-2?

[Barny]

It is sad I laughed at this, almost as sad as the question ye olde grandparent asked.

U.S. Legal system

[Anonymous Coward]

15+ years for cybercrime vs 1-2 years for gang rape? Makes total sense...

Re: U.S. Legal system

[Anonymous Coward]

Gang rape doesn't pose a threat to our corporate overlords, but hacking and cybercrime does. The system punishes people who threaten the status quo more severely, it doesn't care about teenage girls getting gang raped because that is the status quo and it only affects the little people.

Re: U.S. Legal system

[Applehu Akbar]

This is why so many of us are voting for outsider candidates this year.

Re: U.S. Legal system

[Applehu Akbar]

I like what Gary Johnson has to say. Unfortunately, he's not saying it to very many people.

State vs Federal Jurisdiction.

[westlake]

15+ years for cybercrime vs 1-2 years for gang rape? Makes total sense...

Rape, like other violent crimes, is almost always prosecuted under state law. Don't like the sentence? Talk to your your state legislature. Risking a felony conviction under federal law? Never a good idea.

Re:State vs Federal Jurisdiction.

[Opportunist]

Look at rape, then look at hacking, then ponder which of the two is more likely to happen to a politician, and which is more likely to be done by a politician.

And then ponder again why one is punished harshly, and one is ... less so.

Re:State vs Federal Jurisdiction.

[tsotha]

Beyond that it's always a mistake to compare actual sentences with potential maximum sentences. This guy is unlikely to get anything like 16 years, assuming he's convicted.

The defense should be

[Snotnose]

Maybe, just maybe this guy broke the law. But the law he broke is wrong, unconstitutional, and should be overturned.

Problem is, the guy needs a few $100k and the ability to stay in jail for a few years until this hits the supreme court.

Re:The defense should be

[ScentCone]

But the law he broke is wrong, unconstitutional, and should be overturned.

Laws against conspiracy to harass and intimidate are unconstitutional? Do tell.

Re:The defense should be

[Anonymous Coward]

1 to 2 years for rape and 16 for computer fraud? Something is out of wack! That poor girl is going to be haunted by that for the rest of her life. Anonymous right or wrong attempted to shed light on corruption and even with the attention, they got away with it. The American people need to wake up and focus on what's matters before it is too late.
   

The lesson to learn here

[Opportunist]

Rape someone instead of getting the feds to investigate the rape. You'll be doing less time.

Re:Why is hacking okay?

[Opportunist]

If the justice system fails to do what the public feels is "right", it usually leads to vigilantism.

And the amount of vigilantism I get to see in the US leads me to the conclusion that there is REALLY something going VERY wrong with it.

Juvenile

[aepervius]

They only got 1 to 2 years because they were 16 and 17 and were tried as juvenile (not adult) and so got only up to the point they reached adulthood. The other guy was 18+ at the time of the fact. This is the difference and explain everything.