Matthew Keys, a former web producer for KTXL Fox 40 who once was in the top ranks of social media journalism, was found guilty Wednesday by a jury in Sacramento federal court of conspiring to hack into the servers of the Los Angeles Times.
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According to evidence presented at trial, in December 2010, Keys provided members of the hacker group Anonymous with login credentials for a computer server belonging to FOX40’s corporate parent, the Tribune Company.
Keys said he was researching Anonymous at the time of the Los Angeles Times hack and denied giving Tribune login credentials to hackers.
“I think had the full story come out, there would have been a very different answer in this case” Keys said.
Keys faces up to 25 years in prison and potential fines of $250,000 for each of three counts, though experts have said he would likely get a much lesser sentence.
Tribune Media Company spokesperson Gary Weitman said to Reuters: “We are pleased that the justice system worked”. After providing log-in credentials, Keys allegedly encouraged the Anonymous members to disrupt the website.
Thomson Reuters Corp.’s news division hired Keys as a deputy social media editor. But prosecutors alleged that Keys’ relationship with the hackers went beyond that of a detached journalist. He said prosecutors only went after him after he published information in 2011 that he gleaned from unnamed online sources, and refused to cooperate with federal investigators in a separate probe.
“He told [unidentified Anonymous hackers] he was a former employee, proceeded to give them a username and password, and told them to ‘go fuck a few shit up, ‘” the 2013 indictment read.
Keys’ lawyer said he planned to appeal the verdict. Keys is now managing editor at news curation site Grasswire, according to his Twitter profile. Court documents claim the hacking cost Tribune $18,000 as employees spent 333 hours responding to the infiltration, according to The Associated Press.
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Keys, who was allowed by the judge to remain free without having to post bail after the verdict, is scheduled to be sentenced January 20. Famous for their web development books written by industry leaders, they’ve expanded their content library to include in-depth video courses and short, handy screencasts partnering with A Book Apart and UX Mastery. “Those who use the Internet to carry out personal vendettas against former employers employers should know that there are consequences for such conduct”.
