After already having served over 2 years (31 months) inwards detention, Texas courtroom inwards Dallas has sentenced Barrett Brown to 63 months inwards federal prison theatre together with likewise ordered him to pay a trivial to a greater extent than than $890,000 inwards restitution together with fines related to the 2011 hack of Stratfor Global Intelligence.
Over a twelvemonth ago, some other federal gauge sentenced Anonymous fellow member Jeremy Hammond to 10 years inwards prison theatre for making millions of emails from the servers of safety theatre Stratfor public. It’s Hammond who said that Brown simply linked to the hacked data.
Brown was arrested inwards 2012 together with nailed alongside 12 cyber criminal offence charges, including a fraud accuse for spreading to a greater extent than or less the hyperlink to an IRC (Internet Relay Chat) channel where Anonymous members were distributing stolen information from the hack, including credit carte du jour details.
According to the Department of Justice, sharing the hyperlink was a criminal offence because "by transferring together with posting the hyperlink, Brown caused the information to endure made available to other persons online, without the cognition together with ascendance of Stratfor together with the carte du jour holders."
However, well-nigh all of those charges were later dropped together with replaced alongside 3 to a greater extent than centered upon acting every bit an accessory to hacking charges, obstacle of justice together with allegedly threatening an FBI agent inwards a video posted to YouTube. Brown's 2012 arrest came exactly hours after he posted a YouTube video called "Why I'm Going to Destroy FBI Agent Robert Smith."
FEDERAL CHARGES AND FINE
- For count ane inwards the case, he receives 48 months inwards prison.
- For count 2, he receives 12 months inwards prison.
- For count 3, he receives 3 months inwards prison.
- He is likewise ordered to pay $890,000 inwards restitution.
Brown’s supporters from across the spider web had been hoping he would endure able to larn off alongside his terminal 31 months of fourth dimension he pass inwards federal prison theatre for what they insist was "merely linking to hacked material". Instead he got to a greater extent than along alongside a trivial huge total inwards fine.
In a sentencing statement, Brown described the Stratfor hack together with the shared link every bit even then fundamental to the government's motives inwards the case. "The fact that the regime has even then asked yous to punish me for that link is proof, if whatever to a greater extent than were needed, that those of us who advocate against secrecy are to endure pursued without regard for the dominion of law, or fifty-fifty mutual decency," Brown told the judge.
After receiving the sentence, Brown was sarcastically upbeat together with released the next statement:
Good news!
The U.S. of A. of America Government decided today that because I did such a skillful chore investigating the cyber-industrial complex, they're straightaway going to transportation me to investigate the prison-industrial complex. For the side past times side 35 months, I'll endure provided alongside complimentary food, clothes, together with housing every bit I attempt to reveal wrongdoing past times Bureau of Prisons officials together with staff together with otherwise written report on intelligence together with civilization inwards the world's greatest prison theatre system. I desire to give thank yous the Department of Justice for having lay then much fourth dimension together with unloose energy into advocating on my behalf; rather than asset a grudge against me for the ii years of run I lay into bringing attending to a DOJ-linked displace to harass together with discredit journalists similar Glenn Greenwald, the way instead labored tirelessly to ensure that I received this real prestigious assignment.
Wish me luck!
