Anonymous activist pleads innocent to Stratfor charges

Barrett Brown, one of the public faces of the online collective Anonymous, has pleaded innocent to all 12 charges filed against him in connection with the theft of credit card information from intelligence firm Stratfor.

Brown, 31, is accused of possessing and posting a link to credit card information allegedly stolen by Anonymous in the attack. According to the indictment, Brown, founder of think tank Project PM, is alleged to have transferred a link from an Anonymous-run internet relay chat (IRC) room to one under his own control.

He is not accused of taking part in the intrusion.

Stratfor, which offers intelligence analysis for subscribers and clients, some of which are high-powered companies and government agencies, was compromised in early December 2011, which resulted in the exposure of some 90,000 credit card numbers.

Stratfor again was breached before the end of 2011, leading to the theft of 5.2 million emails and the destruction of the company's servers. Stratfor clients include the U.S. Defense Department, Lockheed Martin and Bank of America.

Brown, who also is a writer and activist, faced the new charges from a prison in Texas, where he remains after his September arrest for threatening an FBI agent in a YouTube video.

Brown on Monday waived his right to a hearing concerning his arraignment, and entered innocent pleas for all of the new charges he faces, which could result in 40 years in prison, according to court documents (PDF).