mitnick pleads guilty

[Paul Howell]

At http://dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/tc/story.html?s=v/nm/19990327/tc/crime_hacker_2.html

< paul


Saturday March 27 12:58 AM ET 

Hacker Pleads Guilty To
U.S. Charges

By Dan Whitcomb

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Renegade
computer hacker Kevin Mitnick pleaded guilty Friday to
computer and wire fraud charges in a deal with U.S.
prosecutors that resolves two federal cases against him.

The plea agreement, which remained sealed by the court,
was reported to contain a provision requiring Mitnick, a
hacker known for breaking into the computer systems of
large companies, not to touch a computer for about four
years.

Mitnick, 35, a Los Angeles native who has been in jail
since February 1995, also would be barred under the
agreement from profiting from his story, which already
has inspired an upcoming Hollywood movie.

The former fugitive admitted his guilt to U.S. District
Judge Mariana Pfaelzer and told her he understood that
he was giving up the right to a trial.

As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to recommend
a prison term of three years and 10 months when he is
sentenced June 14. Such a sentence could get him out of
jail by next February when time served is taken into
account.

Outside court, Mitnick's attorney Donald Randolph said
his client was relieved to get the federal charges behind
him, even though he still faces a state computer fraud
charges.

``My client can now see light at the end of the tunnel, and
has a reasonable certainty that it is not another train
coming,'' Randolph said.

``The plea agreement was substantially more favorable
than the offer from the government in 1995,'' Randolph
said. ``The earlier offer allowed the government to argue
for up to eight years in custody and gave the court full
discretion to impose an even greater sentence.''

Mitnick was charged in a 25-count indictment with 14
counts of computer and wire fraud and eight counts of
illegal possession of computer files stolen from such
companies as Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT - news), Novell
Inc. (Nasdaq:NOVL - news) and Sun Microsystems Inc.
(Nasdaq:SUNW - news)

In a second case in northern California, he faced two
counts of fraud. He faced a possible 35 years behind bars if
convicted on all counts in the two cases, both of which
were resolved by the plea bargain.

Mitnick was arrested four times for hacking during the
1980s and previously served a one-year prison term.

He was on probation in 1992 when he began hacking
again, prosecutors have said. He fled on Christmas Eve of
that year and remained on the lam until he was captured
in February 1995 in North Carolina.

Mitnick's repeated offenses and fugitive status made him
an underground legend among some young computer buffs
and hackers.