back to article 'I don’t want to see another computer for the rest of my life'... Brit Dark Overlord cyber-extortionist thrown in an American clink for five years

The front man for the notorious Dark Overlord hacker gang, which threatened to leak stolen confidential information unless paid off, has been sentenced to five years behind bars in America. Nathan Wyatt, 39, formerly of London, England, was sent down on Monday by a judge in a federal district court in eastern Missouri. He was …

  1. don't you hate it when you lose your account

    Me too

    Sometimes I just feel like taking a hammer to my kit. But fair sentence

  2. Khaptain Silver badge

    Five years - Not Enough

    "His role in the gang was particularly nasty. As the point man of the operation, he was tasked with directly contacting victims, and acting as the go-between. This included making threats against the friends and family of those the gang was trying to extort."

    This guy will likely do between 2 and 3 years. Considering the damage that he has done and the fact that he was the overseer; i think that the sentence is actually quite lenient.

    Nobody want's to be on the end of that kind of campaign, it's impossible to know how and where it would end.

    1. Little Mouse

      Re: Five years - Not Enough

      "This guy will likely do between 2 and 3 years."

      That'd definitely be true in the UK prison system. Is it the same in the US? I always imagined they'd be a bit more Draconian about such things.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Five years - Not Enough

        "... by a judge in a federal district court ..."

        Feds are not so nice methinks.

      2. Version 1.0 Silver badge

        Re: Five years - Not Enough

        I expect he's applying for a job with the NSA, he should be out soon.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Five years - Not Enough

          I agree, mainly because the US election is near.

          As we have as yet to ship Assange, Trump needs someone else to help the Russians hack US election systems, and with his attitude on display (no, I'm not buying the tears) he would fit right in with the rest of that lot.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Five years - Not Enough

            Trump derangement syndrome.. got to bring him into it somehow.

            Some people really are weird on here. Story has literally nothing to do with him.

            1. Martin-73 Silver badge

              Re: Five years - Not Enough

              It's to do with America. And like Germany during the years running up to WW2, the Führer will be associated with the country, until it dies. (either him or the country)

      3. StargateSg7

        Re: Five years - Not Enough

        Since it's a FEDERAL LEVEL prosecution, there is NO PAROLE in that system so he gets to serve the ENTIRE FIVE YEAR SENTENCE! It when he GETS OUT that the big problem occurs. He'll be deported back to the UK right after serving his sentence BUT that big 1.4 million dollar USD fine will be hanging over him and if he doesn't start paying it within three months, he will be eligible to GO BACK to Federal prison as he is now violating the conditions of his release!

        Since not paying the fine is a SECOND felony, he will be RE-EXTRADITED back to the USA to be charged, convicted and sentenced to TWICE as long (i.e. 10 years!) as the original sentence. And when he gets out again, that fine PLUS INTEREST will STILL be hanging over him and if he doesn't pay (or isn't able to pay!) again within three months, ANOTHER round of re-imprisonment will be imposed.

        The problem this time around is that it will be a THIRD FELONY and then he get the THREE STRIKES AND YOU ARE OUT LAW smashed upon his head and he then gets sentenced to prison FOR LIFE --- He comes out ONLY in a Pine Box DEAD DEAD AND DEAD !!!!

        V

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Five years - Not Enough

          There is no debtor prison. If he has the money but hides it, that is a different issue - that becomes fraud.

        2. Cederic Silver badge

          Re: Five years - Not Enough

          Could you perhaps stop shouting? You're giving me a headache :(

          The $1.4m fine is farcical. I'd hope the UK would refuse extradition for someone for 'non-payment of fine'.

        3. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Five years - Not Enough

          You can always spot a severe sentence by how many words in it are capitalized

        4. Flywheel

          Re: Five years - Not Enough

          He'll be deported back to the UK right after serving his sentence

          Who says we want him back?

        5. Mark 85
          Trollface

          Re: Five years - Not Enough

          Is that you Bombastic Bob? It sure does read like one of his posts.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Five years - Not Enough

            .. or we now know who bought his keyboard?

            :)

    2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      Re: Five years - Not Enough

      It seems light until you read that that's what the prosecution asked for. Maybe he's been co-operative in putting the finger on the rest of them.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Five years - Not Enough

      He sounds like a nasty piece of work who's been in prison before for similar offences. So he's had at least 2 chances at being a decent person, failed both, is it time society says " that's your lot mate, no longer welcome, life."?

      Problem is we'd have to pay for that, unless there's another way of excluding people from society for little expense... Sorry, been reading to much judge dredd lately.

      1. IGotOut Silver badge

        Re: Five years - Not Enough

        "He sounds like a nasty piece of work who's been in prison before for similar offences. "

        The same offences. He was prosecuted for the UK crimes then extradited for the same US offences, we just used different laws to get him.

    4. a_yank_lurker

      Re: Five years - Not Enough

      In US states you would be probably correct but federal is full sentence so he will have a long stay in Club Fed.

    5. Boo Radley

      Re: Five years - Not Enough

      No, in the federal prison system inmates serve a minimum of 85% of their sentence. And that's with good behaviour, they'll serve more of it if they misbehave.

  3. Winkypop Silver badge
    WTF?

    Actual threats and menace?

    Just 5 years?

    Seems light.

    1. Chris G

      Re: Actual threats and menace?

      Going to a federal prison he is going to get first hand experience of how it feels to be on the receiving end of threats and menace.

      1. chivo243 Silver badge

        Re: Actual threats and menace?

        That depends on the type of Club-Fed he is sent to do his time. He is not a violent offender, no murders or assaults. He would most likely end up in a minimum - medium security lock up. It won't be a picnic, but he probably won't be asking for soap on a rope from his family as often...

        1. StargateSg7

          Re: Actual threats and menace?

          As a foreigner, he's not eligible for Club Fed (there's only a few of them nowadays!) so he gets sent to medium security at a minimum.

          After seeing some news story photos of him, I can see he is not exactly a large and robust fellow, so he better HOPE he's going a Pacific Northwest or Northern Plains federal prison, because if it's one of the southeast, southwest, eastern seaboard or midwest medium to maximum security prisons, his rear end is gonna be in for A WHOLE WORLD OF HURT for those five years! I do suspect though within the first 30 days he's gonna get SHANKED (i.e. Stabbed) and/or PILED-ON (i.e. Prison Gang Beaten) if he doesn't soon find a "benefactor" and become their Prison B&*Tch!

          V

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Actual threats and menace?

            To be honest I cannot really say I feel sorry if he had any potential for blockages adjusted downwards, I'd call it deserved, and I also get the impression that anything less will not achieve an attitude adjustment.

  4. sanmigueelbeer

    UK ghoul is a paradise.

    US prison system is ... I do not know how to describe it other than "watch yourself when you shower".

    1. Curtis

      US Prison System

      The best description of the US prison system is "demonic". Between the inter-inmate predation, and the unholy charges to talk to family via phone, the entire system is a gross failure of US society.

      The entire system is designed to incarcerate slaves and put them to work in the "Prison-Industrial" complex on a scale that would shame China.

  5. RyokuMas
    Mushroom

    Hardy surprising...

    "Wyatt was contrite during his sentencing..."

    Funny how these people who are all bertie-big-balls behind the anonymity of the internet so often end up being blubbering wrecks when dragged out into the spotlight of the real world - from Reddit trolls all he way up to this.

    As a father though, he deserves everything he gets as far as I am concerned; both in terms of sentence and what my happen thereafter.

    1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

      Re: Hardy surprising...

      Indeed. So he's crying now ? Serves him right, I wager he's made enough people cry.

      He went through every page in the Creepy Threatening Blackmailer's Handbook and didn't blink once.

      No pity here.

      1. sanmigueelbeer
        Flame

        Re: Hardy surprising...

        So he's crying now?

        He's not crying because he's going to jail. He's crying because he's going to an AMERICAN jail.

        If he was given a choice between Hanoi Hilton and an American jail, he won't hesitate to chose the former.

        A NEW inmate, with a cockney accent, in an American jail? Let me just say that he will not last 30 seconds after "lights out" -- and that is just "day one".

        1. Boo Radley

          Re: Hardy surprising...

          You people have a very wierd impression of what goes on in the type of prison he'll be in. Minimum security, though with a fence so he can't wander off, not exactly club fed, but filled with other inmates similar to himself. Very little non consensual sex going on.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

  7. sitta_europea Silver badge

    The other day there was this guy who talked about tying something to a train...

  8. SlippyBuckfast

    white collar crime

    5 years.

    If he was working class, black and just shop lifted 3 times he'd be in for life. The wonderful US justice system in action

    1. Flywheel

      Re: white collar crime

      If it was a British court it'd be an open prison and maybe 2 years as a first offence.

    2. a_yank_lurker

      Re: white collar crime

      Shoplifting is a state level offense and the states vary widely on how it is handled. Parole is common in the state prisons. He was nailed on federal charges where there is no parole.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    BooHoo

    World's Smallest Violin => ÷

  10. Lotaresco

    Nathan!

    You dropped the soap.

  11. TeeCee Gold badge
    Meh

    If Solomon were around.

    "...I don’t want to see another computer for the rest of my life.”

    "I am minded to allow your plea. Supermax. Life. No parole."

  12. Steven Guenther

    should not be allowed to touch a computer or smart phone

    His parole SHOULD include prohibition from owning or using a computer or smart phone. Let him dig ditches or pick up garbage. Those are honorable jobs that do not include computers or extortion.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    nasty fecker. But how is the woman who ran over and killed the young lad outside the US Airbase doing back in the US?????? Seems like extradition is a one way street.

    1. Martin-73 Silver badge

      It is. We have to prove stuff. The septics just need to suspect. Utterly farcical treaty.

  14. Jamesit

    At least he didn't say he has Asperger's, I would have given him 20 years at least.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Lives of the rich and famous

    He might bump into Donald Trump one day soon.

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