the indictment happened a month ago, we waited a month to announce it so we can finish the next issue of our zine. you can pick up copies at quimbys or at www.hackbloc.org/ammo_for_the_infowarrior.txt

US Government Indicts Hacker Activist with Felony Computer Fraud and Abuse Act Charges

The US District Attorney and the FBI has pressed felony charges against Jeremy Hammond, hacker activist and founder of website HackThisSite.org, related to the alleged hacking the website of the right-wing hate group ProtestWarrior.com. The indictment issued on June 26, 2006 follows an FBI investigation lasting more than a year since Jeremy's apartment was raided in March '04 and accuses him of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

The US DA alleges that Jeremy was involved with a hacker group known as the Internet Liberation Front that allegedly hacked into and gained access to the entire database belonging to the right-wing hate group ProtestWarrior.com. Originally, ProtestWarrior has baselessly accused Jeremy of 'intending' to use credit card data to make donations to leftist and charity groups, although the FBI is not making any accusations related to intending or actually using credit card data.

Despite that no damage has been done to the ProtestWarrior.com server, nor has any personal details or credit card information has been released or used, Jeremy is facing serious felony charges which could result in jailtime and massive fines.

Jeremy is still "free" on a unsecured bond which imposes several strong bail conditions which includes submitting to regular drug testing, surrendering the right to a passport or leaving the state without the judges permission, and no use of the computer / internet except for "web designing for business purposes"

Jeremy has not testified against, provided evidence, or incriminated anyone else and has not cooperated with the FBI in any investigation or prosecution. He is the only one who has been arrested in connection with this alleged hacking indicent.

Ironically enough, a former friend and administrator who had helped Jeremy work on the HackThisSite.org website was responsible for informing ProtestWarrior.com of the attack and has provided so-called evidence to the right-wing group which was engineered to make Jeremy look like the perpetrator of the alleged hacking incident. This is apparently what was responsible for the initial search warrant on his apartment, and if brought up as evidence during the trial, will hopefully be thrown out on grounds of heresay due to the chain of custody.

At the most recent court date, the DA asked Judge Zagel to formally admonish Jeremy for his history of criminal behavior, most of which has involved minor misdemeanors for political protest related events. Following a recent arrest for 'chalking sidewalks', the judge warned Jeremy that any future arrests would result in either home confinement with electronic surveillance on his dollar, or completely revoke his bail and put him in jail until the results of the trial. As the Judge describes, Jeremy "no longer has the same freedoms" he once held.

Jeremy is now staying out of any direct action or illegal activities and major protests which could result in arrestable situations, both for his safety and the safety of others. After a 10 day Vipassana meditation course, he is also seeking mediation which those who he has wronged, or those who currently have issues with him, with the intent of resolving political issues in the community as well as for his personal development.

While federal prosecuters claim that this is being treated as a standard criminal charge, it is obvious that this is a politically motivated trial as the amount of money the FBI has spent investigating and prosecuting this 21 year old activist doublessly exceeds the next-to-no damages done to the right-wing ProtestWarrior.com website.

As an activist who has worked to help and teach people all his life, we ask the federal prosecutors and the judge that Jeremy not be given any jailtime for a 'crime' that has resulted in no damage to any property or person.

full text of the indictment:
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA vs JEREMY A HAMMOND

Violations: Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1030(a)(2)(C) and 2

COUNT ONE SPECIAL FEB 2005 GRAND JURY charges:

1. At times material to this indictment: a. ProtestWarrior.com was a website that promoted certain political opinions. ProtestWarrior.com's website was maintained on a computer server located in Miami, Florida. Visitors to the ProtestWarrior.com website could become members of the website, and could purchase items and make donations through an online store using a credit card. As a result, the ProtestWarrior.com computer server contained databases that included personal information about visitors to the website, including credit card account information, home addresses, names, and other identifying information. These databases on the computer server were not available online to the general public. Rather, only authorized users who had been issued passwords by the administrators ProtestWarrior.com were permitted to access these databases of personal information

b. Defendant JEREMY ALEXANDER HAMMOND was an administrator of the website hackthissite.org which described itself as "an online movement of hackers, activists and anarchists."

c. Between January and February 2005, defendant HAMMOND accessed ProtestWarrior.com's server without authority on multiple occasions in an effort to obtain information not otherwise available to him or the general public, specifically, credit card numbers, home addresses, and other identifying information of the members and customers of ProtestWarrior.com.

2. On or about February 1, 2005, at Chicago, in the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, and elsewhere, JEREMY ALEXANDER HAMMOND, defendant herein, by interstate communication, intentionally accessed without authority ProtestWarrior's server, a protected computer, and thereby obtained information, namely credit card numbers, home addresses, and other identifying information of its members and customers, from that protected computer; In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1030(a)(2)(C) and 2

FOREPERSON : UNITED STATES ATTORNEY