Philadelphia man arrested for computer fraud
Posted on: 06/16/2012 05:10 PM
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A Massachusetts grand jury issued a four-count indictment alleging that a Pennsylvania man had hacked into the computer networks of the U.S. Dept. of Energy and the University of Massachusetts. Andrew James Miller then tried to sell access to the DOE supercomputer to an undercover FBI agent for $50,000.
Miller is a 23 year old Philadelphia man, charged now with one count of conspiracy, two counts of computer fraud and one count of access device fraud. The indictment claims that between 2008 and 2011 Miller and an unnamed co-conspirators hacked into networks belonging to the DoE, U-Mass as well as private firms including RNK Telecommunications Inc. (RNK) and Colorado advertising agency Crispin Porter and Bogusky Inc. (CPB Group).
After gaining unauthorized access to these systems, Miller is alleged to have installed Trojan horse programs that gave him access to the networks which he and his co-conspirators sold online.
Miller and his co-conspirators were discovered after they attempted to sell access to the victim networks to an undercover FBI agent. Specifically, the indictment details an IRC conversation between Miller and an undercover agent in which Miller exchanges access to RNKs servers and a list of hundreds of user names and passwords for two payments of $500.00. Payment was to be made to Andrew Miller of Lancaster, PA, via Western Union. Miller later requested two payments of $600 via Western Union in exchange for a U-Mass database dump and $1,000.00 for access to CPB Group. At one point, Miller attempted to sell the FBI access to a supercomputer belonging to the DoEs National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center for $50,000.
For the conspiracy count, Miller could face up to five years in prison. Another ten years for another computer fraud count and the access device fraud count, all to be followed by three years of supervised release and some $250,000 in restitution.
Miller is a 23 year old Philadelphia man, charged now with one count of conspiracy, two counts of computer fraud and one count of access device fraud. The indictment claims that between 2008 and 2011 Miller and an unnamed co-conspirators hacked into networks belonging to the DoE, U-Mass as well as private firms including RNK Telecommunications Inc. (RNK) and Colorado advertising agency Crispin Porter and Bogusky Inc. (CPB Group).
After gaining unauthorized access to these systems, Miller is alleged to have installed Trojan horse programs that gave him access to the networks which he and his co-conspirators sold online.
Miller and his co-conspirators were discovered after they attempted to sell access to the victim networks to an undercover FBI agent. Specifically, the indictment details an IRC conversation between Miller and an undercover agent in which Miller exchanges access to RNKs servers and a list of hundreds of user names and passwords for two payments of $500.00. Payment was to be made to Andrew Miller of Lancaster, PA, via Western Union. Miller later requested two payments of $600 via Western Union in exchange for a U-Mass database dump and $1,000.00 for access to CPB Group. At one point, Miller attempted to sell the FBI access to a supercomputer belonging to the DoEs National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center for $50,000.
For the conspiracy count, Miller could face up to five years in prison. Another ten years for another computer fraud count and the access device fraud count, all to be followed by three years of supervised release and some $250,000 in restitution.
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