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On May 24, 2012, federal prosecutors announced that West New York Mayor Felix Roque and his son, Joseph Roque, had been arrested and charged by criminal complaint in connection with the alleged disabling of a website critical of the mayor. Prosecutors alleged that Joseph accessed accounts associated with the site and disabled it, while the mayor took part in a plan to identify and intimidate people linked to it. Those were allegations, not findings of guilt.
What was the hacking case about?
The case centered on recallroque.com, a website a Hudson County resident and public official had anonymously established and moderated in early February 2012. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the site carried commentary and criticism of Mayor Felix Roque and his administration.
The federal announcement said the complaint alleged that, on February 6, Felix Roque and Joseph Roque schemed to take down the website and identify, intimidate, and harass people associated with it. By late afternoon on February 8, Joseph allegedly accessed various online accounts used with the recall site and used that access to disable it. The complaint summary also alleged that the mayor harassed and attempted to intimidate several people he learned were connected to the site. These descriptions are the government’s allegations, not established findings.
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What charges did the complaint list?
The May 24, 2012, release said the two men were charged by complaint with unauthorized access to computers in furtherance of causing damage to protected computers, causing damage to protected computers, and conspiracy to commit those crimes. An arrest announcement and criminal complaint set out accusations; they do not by themselves establish that a defendant committed an offense.
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What penalties did prosecutors say were possible?
The release gave these potential maximum penalties at the time. They are not sentences or evidence of how the case ended.
| Charge described in the release | Potential maximum stated in 2012 |
|---|---|
| Conspiracy | Up to five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines |
| Unauthorized access in furtherance of causing damage to protected computers | Up to five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines |
| Causing damage to protected computers | Up to one year in prison and up to $250,000 in fines |
The figures are the case-specific potential maxima listed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in its 2012 announcement. They should not be read as penalties imposed on either defendant.
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What did officials say at the time?
FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward criticized the alleged conduct, saying: “It’s incredibly disappointing that resources have to be diverted from protecting the US against cyber intrusions targeting critical infrastructure, federally funded research and military technology, to address a public official intruding into computer systems to further a political agenda.”
The Justice Department release also stated: “The charges and allegations contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
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What is known about the case’s outcome?
The official announcement said Felix Roque, then 55, and Joseph Roque, then 22, were scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark S. Falk in Newark federal court on the afternoon of May 24, 2012. The sources cited here do not establish what happened later in the case. They therefore do not support a claim that either defendant was convicted, acquitted, sentenced, or that the charges were dismissed.
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