Ex-IT Guy Arrested For Acting Like Gossipy HR Person
Some interesting media workplace and industry news via press release from the Feds:
MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and MARK J. MERSHON, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), announced the arrest today of STEVAN HOFFACKER on charges relating to hacking into his former employer's computer network. HOFFACKER was charged with reading confidential e-mail messages about pending personnel moves and sending e-mail messages to the affected employees, tipping them off that their jobs were in jeopardy. As alleged in the Complaint unsealed earlier today: The employer, Source Media, publishes financial market information and has approximately 1,000 employees. From approximately 1998 until his termination in 2003, HOFFACKER worked, at various times, as director of information technology and vice president of technology at Source Media and its predecessor company. ... HOFFACKER was arrested this morning in Queens, New York and charged with one count of unauthorized access to a protected computer network. If convicted, HOFFACKER faces a maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
Couple things to note: First, SourceMedia provides financial services information, so it's got nothing to do with the super-fun hip hop book. Second, Hoffacker, amusingly, was quoted in a 2004 AP story about the importance of password security. Also, sending people e-mail that they're about to get fired? Pretty fucking cool in our book. Full release after the jump.