Darnell Albert-El, 53, of Richmond, Va., pleaded guilty in June to one count of intentionally damaging a protected computer without authorization, according to a news release issued Friday by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Albert-El was fired in June 2008 from his position as IT director of Transmarx, a Richmond, Va.-based company. While working at Transmarx, he had administrator-level access to the company's computer network and website, which was hosted on a server located in Georgia.
On July 25, 2008, Albert-El used his computer and administrator credentials to access the server hosting Transmarx's website. He then deleted 1,000 files from the Transmarx website, causing more than $6,000 in losses to his former employer.
A spokesperson for Transmarx could not be reached for comment.
When pleading guilty, Albert-El said he intentionally caused the damage because he was angry about being fired, according to prosecutors.
In addition to his 27-month prison term, Albert-El was ordered to pay $6,700 in restitution to his former employer.
