Computer Hacker Arrested

On February 22, 2001, a 15-year-old Newaygo County, Michigan youth was
arrested for allegedly hacking into at least three NASA computer
systems on two separate occasions and at least one Department of Energy
(DOE) computer system. The juvenile was charged with violating Michigan
Compiled Law 752.797(2)(a), Unauthorized Access to Computers, a felony
punishable by imprisonment for a term not to exceed 5 years. The youth
was placed in Newaygo County’s Supervised Transitional Evaluation
Placement Program pending an appearance in Newaygo County’s Family
Division of Circuit Court.

In January 2001, the juvenile allegedly broke into NASA computer
systems located at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, and the
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. The youth allegedly broke
into a DOE computer system located at Sandia National Laboratories,
Albuquerque, NM, that same month. The youth allegedly defaced Web
pages by altering system files and uploading new files to display
images relating to the hacking group “Electronic Souls.”

This investigation was conducted by a multi-jurisdictional task force
consisting of Special Agents of the NASA Office of Inspector General
(OIG), Office of Criminal Investigations, Computer Crime Division;
Special Agents of the Department of Energy, Office of Inspector
General, Technology Crimes Section; and Detectives of the Newaygo
County Sheriff’s Office. The United States Postal Inspection Service,
the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Officers of the Michigan State
Police also provided assistance. The arrest warrant was issued through
the Newaygo County Prosecutor’s Office.

Chrystal Roach, Newaygo County Prosecutor’s Office, (231) 689-7283, is
handling the prosecution.

For more information on this release, please call Stephen J. Nesbitt,
NASA OIG, Director of Operations, Network and Advanced Technologies
Protection Office, at (202) 358-2576.