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| Man guilty on 2 counts in Palin hacking case |
| 2010-05-01 |
| KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The son of a Democratic Tennessee lawmaker was convicted Friday on two charges in the hacking of Sarah Palin's e-mail account while she campaigned on the Republican presidential ticket in 2008. The federal court jury reached its verdict against David Kernell, 22, after four days of deliberation. He was found guilty of obstruction of justice and unauthorized access to a computer, but was acquitted on a charge of wire fraud. The jury deadlocked on a charge of identify theft. Prosecutors reserve the right to have a new trial on that charge. The charge of obstructing an investigation carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence and unauthorized access to a computer is a misdemeanor with a maximum one-year sentence. U.S. District Judge Thomas Phillips did not immediately set a sentencing date. Kernell's defense attorney maintained the hack amounted to college prank, not a crime. Kernell was a student at the University of Tennessee at the time. Prosecutors argued it was a more serious effort to damage Palin's political campaign. Knoxville Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Weddle, the chief prosecutor in the case, said they had not decided whether to try Kernell again on the identity theftcharge. The former Alaska governor posted a statement on her Facebook page, saying she and her family "are thankful that the jury thoroughly and carefully weighed the evidence and issued a just verdict." "As Watergate taught us, we rightfully reject illegally breaking into candidates' private communications for political intrigue in an attempt to derail an election," the statement said. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 If someone steals my identity, could I get similar consideration? |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-05-01 04:09 |