Hacker seeks reduced sentence, citing Asperger's

Dec 17, 2009

(AP) -- A computer hacker who was a force behind one of the largest cases of credit card theft in U.S. history says he has a developmental disorder and is asking for a reduced sentence.

Albert Gonzalez, of Miami, admitted invading the computer systems of such retailers as TJX Cos., BJ's Wholesale Club and Sports Authority. Federal authorities say tens of millions of credit and debit card numbers were stolen.

His lawyers have submitted a report from a psychiatrist who concluded his behavior was consistent with Asperger's syndrome. That's a form of .

Gonzalez was scheduled to be sentenced Monday. The hearing has been postponed indefinitely so prosecutors can consider the psychiatrist report.

His lawyers are asking for a sentence at the lower end of the 15 to 25 years in his plea agreement.

Explore further: Kim Dotcom slams Megaupload 'data massacre'

not rated yet
add to favorites email to friend print save as pdf

Related Stories

Fla. man accepts plea in record data theft case

Aug 28, 2009

(AP) -- An accused computer hacker charged in what prosecutors call the largest identity fraud case in U.S. history has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges.

Man charged in record ID theft case in plea talks

Aug 27, 2009

(AP) -- An accused computer hacker charged with stealing millions of credit and debit card numbers has been negotiating a plea deal with the federal government, people close to the case said Thursday.

Prosecutors say man stole 130M credit card numbers

Aug 17, 2009

(AP) -- Federal prosecutors on Monday charged a Miami man with the largest case of credit and debit card data theft ever in the United States, accusing the one-time government informant of swiping 130 million accounts on ...

Indictment of card hacker unlikely to end thefts

Aug 18, 2009

(AP) -- This week's indictment of a hacker believed responsible for the biggest retail-store data breaches in U.S. history doesn't necessarily make shoppers safer from having their credit card numbers plundered.

Accused credit card hacker lived large in Miami

Aug 20, 2009

(AP) -- Nestled near a row of sultry, silvery-green palm trees and a 205-foot-long infinity pool, room 1508 at the National Hotel on South Beach is a portrait of Art Deco luxury. It is also where, on May 7, 2008, federal ...

Recommended for you

Kim Dotcom slams Megaupload 'data massacre'

8 hours ago

Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom Thursday condemned a Dutch company's decision to delete million of files belonging to users of his defunct website, calling it "the largest data massacre in the history of the ...

States scramble to attract suddenly hot cybersecurity firms

17 hours ago

As data dragnets and information breaches dominate the news, states are scrambling to cash in on a rapidly expanding business sector by offering tax incentives to firms that protect sensitive information from outside attacks.

A year on, Assange stays put in Ecuadorean Embassy

23 hours ago

A year ago, Julian Assange skipped out on a date with Swedish justice. Rather than comply with a British order that he go to the Scandinavian country for questioning about sex crimes allegations, the WikiLeaks ...

Google asks US secret court to lift gag order (Update)

Jun 18, 2013

Google on Tuesday sharply challenged the U.S. government's gag order on its Internet surveillance program, citing what it described as a constitutional free speech right to divulge how many requests it receives ...

User comments : 1

Adjust slider to filter visible comments by rank

Display comments: newest first

Nik_2213
not rated yet Dec 17, 2009
This case may be why the UK's "UFO" hacker's Asperger's defence may not be accepted...

( US Prosecuters could derive a win/win by plea-bargaining the UK guy to a decade of community service doing SETI... )

More news stories

Multiview 3-D photography made simple

Computational photography is the use of clever light-gathering tricks and sophisticated algorithms to extract more information from the visual environment than traditional cameras can.

Tech companies eye security that goes beyond passwords

In late February, a thief or thieves cracked into Evernote's digital vault filled with log-ins, passwords and email addresses belonging to 50 million users. It was a shocking cyberattack considering the Redwood City, Calif., ...

Danish chemists in molecular chip breakthrough

Electronic components built from single molecules using chemical synthesis could pave the way for smaller, faster and more green and sustainable electronic devices. Now for the first time, a transistor made ...

China astronauts float water blob in kids' lecture

Astronauts struck floating martial arts poses, twirled gyroscopes and manipulated wobbling globes of water during a lecture Thursday from China's orbiting space station that's part of efforts to popularize ...