A U.S. judge on Wednesday sentenced a former Democratic Senate staff member to four years in prison for a burglary and hacking campaign that culminated in the single largest known theft of electronic data from the Senate and the posting of private information about Republican senators on the Internet.
Jackson A. Cosko, 27, of the District, pleaded guilty in April to “doxing” the senators after being fired by one senator and growing angry at others while watching the Sept. 27 Senate hearing that addressed sexual assault allegations against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh.
Cosko subsequently doxed five senators by anonymously editing their Wikipedia pages to add phone numbers and home addresses, he admitted to the court. The information was quickly removed after the alterations were discovered, and aides contacted authorities.
If you're not in the business,
"doxing" is searching for and publishing private or identifying information about (a particular individual) on the Internet, typically with malicious intent. It's derived from "document."
In addition to two counts of disclosing restricted personal information and one count each of computer fraud, Cosko confessed to one count each of witness tampering and obstruction of justice by threatening a staffer who caught him on a computer in the office of Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), where he was a computer administrator before he was fired in May 2018.
Judge Thomas F. Hogan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said Cosko intended to hurt people with whom he disagreed, committing a “vicious offense” in an increasingly “intemperate and uncivil” world in which, the judge noted, a gunman in 2017 opened fire on Republican lawmakers at a baseball practice and Democrats faced similar threats, including from a mail bomber in Florida.
“People should realize, especially young people, you simply cannot do this without facing serious consequences,” Hogan said.
Four years seems a little steep, but then, he didn't hit normal people, he hit senators. And he'll probably be out in 2 anyway.
Also Wednesday, prosecutors charged another Hassan staffer they allege had been persuaded by Cosko to try to “wipe down” Senate computers he hacked.
Samantha Deforest Davis was charged with two misdemeanors — one federal count of aiding and abetting computer fraud and one District count of attempted evidence tampering — in a criminal information, a type of charging document that is used when a defendant waives indictment and that can signal an intent to plead guilty.
Judge, you know that seems to me to be about right
Ex-Senate staffer sentenced to 4 years for ‘doxing’ GOP senators in Kavanaugh confirmation fight, WaPoo, (30 day pass).
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