Woman Pleads Guilty to Computer Fraud via Unauthorized Access of Employer’s Computer System

 

Emily M. Sweeney, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, announced that on Friday, September 14, 2001, Melissa S. Brown, age 30, of 115 Tilden Avenue, Chardon, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Akron, Ohio, to a one count indictment charging her with computer fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1030(a)(5)(A).

On July 6, 2001, a federal grand jury in Cleveland, Ohio, returned a one count indictment charging Brown, with computer fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1030(a)(5)(A). The indictment charged that on or about April 14, 2001, Brown knowingly caused the transmission of a program, information, code or command, and as a result of such conduct, intentionally caused damage, without authorization, to a protected computer server owned and/or operated by Christian & Timbers, 25825 Science Park Drive, Beachwood, Ohio.

According to Court documents filed in U.S. District Court, Brown admitted that between the hours of 4:04 a.m. and 5:09 a.m. on April 14, 2001, she remotely logged onto the computer system of her employer, Christian & Timbers, an executive recruitment firm located in Beachwood, Ohio, from a company laptop computer located at her residence in Chardon, Ohio. During the session, Brown logged onto the company’s computer system using the user ID and password of a co-worker, without the knowledge or authorization of the co-worker, and transmitted certain computer codes, instructions and/or commands to change the password of the company’s Chief Information Officer who was on vacation at the time, thus preventing the CIO from gaining log-on access to the company computer.

As a result of her actions, Brown admitted that she caused Christian & Timbers to incur losses in excess of $5,000.00.

The maximum statutory penalty for a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1030(a)(5)(A) (computer fraud) is 5 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.

Brown will be sentenced in November 2001, by U.S. District Judge Dan A. Polster following the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert W. Kern, following an investigation by the Cleveland Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

• More information on: Brown's Sentence
• More information on: Brown's Indictment
• More information on: Computer Intrusion Cases
• More information on: Computer Crime

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