Judge sentences hacker to 10 years

A judge in New York today sentenced Jeremy Hammond, the hacker who cracked open the database of intelligence organization Stratfor, 10 years, and three years' post-imprisonment probation with severe limits on his internet access. He had pleaded guilty to one charge of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

"They have made it clear they are trying to send a message to others who come after me. A lot of it is because they got slapped around, they were embarrassed by Anonymous and they feel that they need to save face," Hammond said the day before his sentencing in anticipation of a "vengeful, spiteful" punishment.

Judge Loretta Preska said: "“These are not the actions of Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela … or even Daniel Ellsberg. There’s nothing high minded or public-spirited about causing mayhem.”

Hammond has served 20 months in prison already and will spend at least another four years in the big house before he is eligible for parole.

"I think my days of hacking are done. That's a role for somebody else now," he explained.