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Tyler C. King, a 31-year-old man from Dallas, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison in August 2020 for hacking a New York-based technology company. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said the case involved unauthorized administrator accounts, access to executives’ email and company records, and the later use of overseas employees’ credentials.

Who was sentenced, and what was the sentence?

The DOJ’s Northern District of New York announced the sentence on August 13, 2020. Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy sentenced King to 57 months in prison and ordered him to serve two years of supervised release after prison. The sentence also included a $15,000 fine and $21,159 in restitution, according to the DOJ announcement.

How did King access the company’s network?

According to the DOJ, King conspired with company employee Ashley St. Andria in 2015 to access the company’s computer network. They created unauthorized administrator accounts that gave them access to proprietary information, including real-time access to senior executives’ emails, personnel files, and financial records.

The company detected and shut down the accounts. The DOJ says King later regained access with St. Andria’s assistance, stole business records, and bypassed security using password-cracking programs and credentials belonging to two employees based overseas.

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What did the jury convict King of?

After a five-day trial in November 2019, a jury convicted King of conspiring to commit computer fraud, computer fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. In June 2020, King separately pleaded guilty to obstructing justice by falsifying evidence for use at trial. The obstruction charge was resolved by his guilty plea, not by the jury’s verdict.

What happened to the employee who helped him?

The DOJ says St. Andria pleaded guilty to computer fraud on August 15, 2018. In March 2020, she was sentenced to time served and two years of supervised release.

Was the technology company identified?

No. The DOJ described the victim only as a New York-based technology company and did not name it. Contemporaneous coverage by SecurityWeek also reported the target as unnamed. The company’s identity should not be inferred from the information in those accounts.

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What officials said about the case

Then-U.S. Attorney Grant C. Jaquith said King had hacked the company, damaged its systems, and stolen data, adding that he would serve 57 months in federal prison. FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. Relford said the conduct was “not a prank” and described the sentence as a reminder that cybercrime is a serious threat. These were officials’ statements accompanying the sentencing announcement; the case details above reflect the DOJ’s account of the prosecution.

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