пллплм пллпплл лл пллплм лл лл лл м п оллн лл лл лл лл ллпл лмлл лл лл лл лл лл м он олн лл лл мллмлп мллммлл млм мллм мллмлп млп пллм мллп млплм плл мм пллп пллм лп млпмл ппллм лпллмп лл олн олн лл млп лл лллм л олн л плл л п лл лл лл ллллм лл л ллмл лл ммм лл л лл олн олн ллпллм лл л ллл олн лл пммлп млм мллм плмлп млл ллм мллм мл лл плмлпм пллплм пллп плп пллм лп плл лп ллмлп лл л лллм л оллн лл лл л л ллмл лл лл лл л л ллл оллн млл пллмлпм мл лл мл ллм :PRESENTS: CYBER-ADDICTION Did anyone hear of a news item about a boy in England who was brought up on hacking charges but pleaded not guilty because he claimed that he was not responsible for his actions due to his severe addiction to computers? A good motto, don't y'all agree? P.S. I hope to hell this "boy in England" isn't Craig Shergold. The case they are thinking of may be this Mitnick guy. Not British. A contemporary account of the case follows: Kevin Mitnick is the hacker once called "as dangerous with a keyboard as a bank robber with a gun." His first plea bargain was rejected by U.S. District Judge Mariana R. Pfaelzer as too lenient. He subsequently reached a new agreement, with no agreed-upon prison sentence, in which pleaded guilty to stealing a DEC security program and illegal possession of 16 long-distance telephone codes belonging to MCI Telecommunications Corp. If convicted of all counts, Mitnick faced a maximum sentence of 20 years and a fine of $750,000. According to a story by Henry Weinstein in the 18 July 1989 'Los Angeles Times', Judge Pfaelzer said Monday that she will sentence Mitnick to a year in a rehabilitation center, where he can be treated for his "addiction." It is believed to be the first time a person indicted for a computer hacking - related crime will be treated as an addict. Harriet Rossetto, the director of the rehabilitation center said that Mitnick would benefit from the program. She said that Mitnick's "hacking gives a sense of self-esteem he doesn't get in the real world.... This is a new and growing addiction . There was no greed involved. There was no sabotage involved.... He's like a kid playing Dungeons and Dragons." Asst. U.S. Attorney James R. Asperger told Pfaelzer that he was amenable to the rehabilitation plan, in part because Mitnick has cooperated extensively with the government in its case against DiCicco, Mitnick's one-time friend who turned him in. Asperger said that Mitnick had turned out to be considerably less harmful than the government had originally thought, particularly since he not broken into DEC's computer system out of malice or to make money. Judge Pfaelzer said she will rule on whether Mitnick should serve any additional prison time, beyond the seven months he has so far spent in federal custody. DiCicco still faces one federal charge of illegally transporting a stolen program (!). Sounds like an interesting starting point for the AFU legal staff. And an even more interesting way for those who need an escape from the law. I like the D&D analogy by the judge. -Johnny