15 years in prison for 'hacker-for-hire' defendant who targeted government agencies in Minnesota

A New Mexico man accused of paying hackers to sabotage websites affiliated with his former employers and government agencies in Minnesota, including the state's court system, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The case is one of the first of its kind in Minnesota. John K. Gammell of Las Cruces was sentenced last week in federal court in St. Paul to five years of supervised release and restitution that authorities were still trying to determine.

"Gammell's attacks on the websites of his victims had real consequences to small businesses, educational institutions, government entities, and others — for no reason other than that Gammell wanted to cause them harm," Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Rank said in a statement.

"Gammell used his technical knowledge and the internet's cloak of anonymity to commit his crimes," Rank continued, "all while knowing the damage he was causing and believing he would never be caught."

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/15-years-in-prison-for-hacker-for-hire-defendant-who-targeted-government-agencies-in-minnesota/483146741/