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Press Release For Immediate Release October 12, 2000	U.S. Postal Service Laura Whitaker, Director Congressional and Public Relations (703) 248-2300

 

Texas Man is Indicted for Unlawfully Accessing Computers of U.S. Postal Service, State of Texas,
and Canadian Department of Defense

Arlington, VA - Karla W. Corcoran, Inspector General of the U.S. Postal Service, announced today that on October 10, 2000, nine indictments were returned by a state grand jury in Dallas, Texas, charging Robert Russell Sanford with theft and unlawfully obtaining access to computers belonging to the Postal Service, the State of Texas, the Canadian Department of Defense and Glinn Publishing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  The indictments charge that between November 1999 and January 2000, Sanford, who belongs to the international computer hacking group "HV2K," unlawfully obtained access to a number of computer systems and defaced web pages, thereby depriving the owners of these systems of their use.

Robert Russell Sanford, 18, is a resident of Irving, Texas.  Another member of  "HV2K," a Canadian juvenile, entered a pre-trial diversion program in Halifax, Nova Scotia, earlier this year for related activity.

If convicted, the unlawfully accessing computer and theft offenses carry a maximum term of imprisonment of up to 24 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $78,000.

Inspector General Corcoran stated that these indictments were the result of a joint investigation involving the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Forces National Investigative Service, and the Postal Service Office of Inspector General.

Assistant District Attorney Bart Bevers, Criminal District Attorney's Office, Dallas County, Texas is handling the prosecution of this case.

• More information on: Computer Crime Cases
• More information on: Sanford's plea and sentencing