Hacker Lauri Love has lost his case to stop extradition to the U.S. to face charges of hacking into FBI systems, the US central bank, as well as the US missile defense agency.

He is expected to appeal the decision.

If he loses his extradition appeal, he could face as much as 99 years on those charges. Love’s solicitor Karen Todner, has said that his case could be appealed as high as the European court of human rights in Strasbourg. “I feel awfully disappointed,” Todner said. “I thought we had done enough. I’m hopeful that the higher courts will consider the human rights issues.”

Love himself, who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome, has said that a jail sentence in the U.S. could lead him to a mental breakdown or even suicide.

Jake Davis, a hacker who goes by the handle Topiary, said this on Twitter: “This is a horrible decision. This case has been a mess from the start. Prosecutions on both sides of the Atlantic ridiculous. This level of pressure and bullying from the United States is unacceptable. No real evidence delivered to defense at all.”

Love was first arrested in 2013. “According to the indictment, Lauri Love and conspirators hacked into thousands of networks, including many belonging to the United States military and other government agencies,” US Attorney Paul J. Fishman said at the time. “As part of their alleged scheme, they stole military data and personal identifying information belonging to servicemen and women.”

He was released in 2013 which cleared the way for the U.S. to file for extradition.

In a similar case, that of Gary McKinnon, Theresa May, who was home secretary at the time, stepped in to block the extradition proceedings, claiming it would be, “incompatible with Mr. McKinnon's human rights.”

Source: Info Security