Prison hacker who tried to free friend now likely to join him inside

A Michigan man who hacked into his local prison's computing system to gain early release for a friend is facing his own time inside after getting caught. Konrads Voits, 27, pled guilty to hacking charges after installing malware on the Washtenaw County government computer system in an attempt to get a friend released early …

[Daedalus]

It's a Federal case

"ensuring that he may well be joining his mate in the Big House"

Nope. Hacking gets the Feds involved. His friend was a guest of the local yokels, so Voits will be headed to wherever there is space in Club Fed. Could be far away indeed, and perhaps hotter than he is used to.

[Boo Radley]

Re: It's a Federal case

Club Fed my ass, there are surprisingly few federal prisons with tennis courts, etc. And down here in Texas we have 100 degree heat to enjoy in un air conditioned cells or dormitories.

[kain preacher]

Re: It's a Federal case

Quirk of American law. he tried twice. Once at the local level and again at the federal level. Feds are involved because any attack against a state government is a federal crime not because of hacking.

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe...

They're not as stupid as he thought...

[veti]

Enough is enough

When are browsers going to start using a font (in the address bar, particularly) that actually allows you to see the difference between 'vv' and 'w'? Or 'rn' and 'm', or 'li' and 'll'...

It's not that difficult, any monospaced font would do the job. That would just leave us with trying to tell the difference between 'p' and 'р' and 'ρ'.

[robin48gx]

Re: Enough is enough

\u2006

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Enough is enough

When are browsers going to start using a font (in the address bar, particularly) that actually allows you to see the difference between 'vv' and 'w'? Or 'rn' and 'm', or 'li' and 'll'...

Its a good idea but even if your URL was thisisascam.com its not gonna stop idiots and phishing. I know - we tested this recently by sending a phishing mail to all staff , with all the clues there ... tragic results ...

[Snorlax]

Xjail?

Was SCMODS already taken?

[Comments are attributed to your handle]

Re: Xjail?

I wonder why they haven't upgraded to Waylandjail or Mirjail yet?

[FIA]

Re: Xjail?

I wonder why they haven't upgraded to Waylandjail or Mirjail yet?

WaylandJail isn't ready yet. When it's done it'll be amazing. All prisoners reformed much quicker without any of that legacy punishment crap. It'll be done real soon now.

MirJail sounded amazing, and for a few years looked like it was going to be the jail to end all jails, However as is the way cutbacks kicked in and it ended up just being a very short person in a flashy uniform; they hoped no one would notice.

No one did.

[Mark 85]

That must have been a really, really good friend to do what he did. I would hope the friend is worth the hard time.

[Winkypop]

Cell 99, Schadenfreude wing

Will his friend be out before him?

[jms222]

That's a lot of money to switch it off and on again even by US standards.

[Joe Gurman]

Warning: Pedantry

In the US, the old phrase "big house" referred to state or federal penitentiaries, rather than to city or county lockups. A world of difference, if only because the cuisine in the former went at least a little beyond bologna on white bread.... every day,

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Warning: Pedantry

From a friend that just got out, the boxes coming in said:

Turkey parts, not for human consumption.

[ElReg!comments!Pierre]

Undisclosed number of bitcoin

That could be worth anything between 2 cents and a few bazillions.

Why did he have to give that up? Computer and phones I get (he used them to carry the offences), but by essence bitcoins cannot be useful to the investigation. Or was it feared that he may use them to make unapproved purchases?

[Voland's right hand]

Re: Undisclosed number of bitcoin

Why did he have to give that up?

Plea bargain. He agreed to plea guilty in order not to face a too big of a sueball. If he had even a fraction of a bitcoin that sueball would have included tax avoidance and/or money laundry.

US justice system at its best - threaten the suspect with a gigantic list of crimes and coerce a confession for some of them.

[Random Q Hacker]

Re: Undisclosed number of bitcoin

It works like this all the way down to traffic court. They trump up the charges, and you can either fight them with an expensive lawyer over a series of $300 court appearances, or just plea to lesser charges and pay once for them to leave you alone. "Ju$tice"

[rmason]

Yup

Precisely that.

That's how "justice" in the US is. If you get caught for anything, then the list of charges they compile once they have done sieving your entire life means they can threaten you with something silly like 99 years inside if you take it to court and lose (which having committed at least one of the many crimes, you will).

Enter the "please bargain" which all gets settled before court meaning the defendant will just appear and admit guilt, in exchange for something like a mere 10 years in, with parole in 4-6.

Sorted.

Justice is served.

[Aodhhan]

Re: Yup

If you're convicted on felony charges in federal court you serve the entire time in prison. Good behavior, early parole, etc. is only considered for convictions handed out by state court systems.

Once the FBI gets involved, so does a federal prosecutor. No early release to look forward to, which is why federal prosecutors get more plea bargains than state/county/district prosecutors.

[adam payne]

He also agreed to give up his laptop, four cellphones, and an undisclosed number of Bitcoin.

I suppose those Bitcoin will be added the US governments Bitcoin slush fund, you know for those off the books purchases.

[Anonymous Coward]

This sounds like the plot from Ferris Bueller's Day Off

[Schlimnitz]

"but using a double v instead of a w in January"

That's... creative of him.

[Tigra 07]

Did his intrusion into these systems net him 1600 logins and passwords or did he manage to get that many people to hand their details over willingly?

These people need more training if it's the the latter