Perspective
Were Prosecutors Too Harsh on Matthew Keys? (Perspective)
August 17, 2016
Thomas O'Brien and Brian Kaewert
The prosecution of journalist Matthew Keys demonstrates the immense discretionary power that federal prosecutors wield under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (“CFAA”).
Last week, Keys surrendered to authorities to begin serving his twenty four month prison sentence stemming from his distribution of login credentials to the Tribune Company computer network to members of the hacker group Anonymous. Keys was convicted of three felonies following a federal jury trial in October 2015. While he has appealed his conviction, the Ninth Circuit denied his motion for bail pending appeal late last month, meaning that he must begin serving his sentence absent action by President Barack Obama, from whom Keys has lobbied for a commutation or pardon.
This article was published on the Bloomberg Law website.
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