The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania reported that Dariusz J. Prugar was found guilty of computer fraud and wire fraud for hacking into his former employer's computer system.
Prugar, of Syracuse, N.Y., was fired by PA Online, a local internet service provider (now called Netrepid), in June 2010 and a few days later he hacked into the company's network and erased enough files to crash the system, U.S. Attorney Peter Smith said in a written statement. The problems left 5,000 residential and 500 commercial PA Online customers with only intermittent service for a week. Smith added that Prugar also installed backdoors into the company's system so he could return.
Prugar faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a fine, although the sentence is likely to be much less due to sentencing guidelines followed by the judge.
