In June, the New York Times reported that the FBI was investigating the Cardinals for allegedly hacking into the Astros computer database. Correa was sacked by the club in July after he had been on an “imposed leave of absence”.
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Correa worked for the Cardinals since 2009 under current Astros GM Jeff Luhnow. With each count comes a possible maximum sentence of five years plus a $250,000 fine. The 35-year-old Correa was the Cardinals’ director of baseball development until he was sacked last summer. Later this afternoon, the former Cardinals official then entered a guilty plea to all counts as charged. The commissioner’s office intends to look into the results of the federal investigation when determining if and when penalties will be assessed against the Cardinals.
The case is U.S. vs. Correa, 15-cr-679, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas (Houston).
Correa took advantage of the fact that Victim A had used a password for his Astros email that was similar to the one he had used for the Cardinals, the documents claim.
The Astros operate a private online database called Ground Control that houses information like scouting reports, statistics, and contract information.
The Astros hired Luhnow as general manager in December 2011, and he has helped turn the team into a contender after three straight 100-loss seasons. In the days before this breach, the Astros’ system had gotten national attention from a Houston Chronicle article, so they changed the URL and reset everyone’s passwords in order to prevent this exact type of activity.
Correa tried variations of the password the former Cardinals employee used for his laptop and eventually gained access to the person’s Ground Control and email accounts, according to court documents.
Prosecutors accused Correa of improperly downloading an Excel file of the Astros’ scouting list naming every eligible player for the 2013 draft.
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In June, St. Louis Cardinals Chairman Bill Dewitt characterized the hacking as “roguish behavior” and was stunned to learn of the alleged hacking from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI may focus exclusively on Correa, but Major League Baseball could still penalize the organization.
