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List the top 10 most famous non-violent computers hackers and their lawyers in the united states from 1990-2018 (Rows 4-13)
The top 10 most famous non-violent computers hackers are: Kevin Mitnick, Jonathan James, Max Ray Butler, Albert Gonzalez, Kevin Poulsen, Adrian Lamo, Vladimir Leonidovich Levin, Marcel Lehel Lazar, John Schiefer and Mark Abene. The attached spreadsheet provides information on each hacker's crimes, the attorneys that represented them, and media and legal links, as available.
METHODOLOGY
Our research began with the legal definition of non-violent crimes as "those crimes that do not involve the use of any force or injury to another person. The seriousness of a non-violent crime is usually measured in terms of economic damage or loss to the victim." Only those hackers that have been charged with a crime are included, as those that have not been charged would not necessarily engage a defense attorney.
Several pre-compiled lists were used to determine which cases can be considered "top". These lists were cross-referenced, and we selected those that appeared on multiple lists, were a "first" of some type, - for example, the first such crime committed by a juvenile - or were excessive in scope.
Without paid access to a legal database, our ability to locate legal documents was limited. However, we were able to find reasonably current contact information for several of the attorneys covered in our findings.
Most of these hackers are US nationals, and the two that aren't were active in the US.
FINDINGS - COMPUTER HACKERS
KEVIN MITNICK
A self-taught hacker, Mitnick began hacking in his teens for the excitement of outsmarting security. His 1999 case was the first involving computer security and resulted in a nearly 4 year prison term.
Defense attorneys Donald Randolph and Gregory Vinson (possibly Vincent) were found to have jointly published "A Computer Hacker's Right to Remain Cryptic", California Lawyer, November 1999. Randolph appears to still be in practice, with contact information provided in the attached spreadsheet. No current contact information was found for Gregory Vinson.
JONATHAN JAMES
James was sentenced as the first juvenile for hacking into 13 NASA computers and intercepting more than 3,000 emails in 1999. He boasted to his friends about his activities, and thought others perceived them as "cool". His attorney, Ted Klein, passed away in 2006.
MAX RAY BUTLER
Butler was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for stealing "nearly 2 million credit card numbers and $86 million in alleged fraudulent purchases". He was represented by Public Defender Michael Novara, who is still with the Western Pennsylvania Public Defender's office.
ALBERT GONZALEZ
Motivated by money and a luxury lifestyle, Gonzalez hacked into business computer networks to steal credit and debit card account information. He was represented by Rene Palomino, Jr..
KEVIN POULSEN
Poulsen was the first hacker charged with Federal espionage charges stemming from the theft of a classified military document. He was represented by Paul Meltzer. The contact information for Mr. Meltzer was based on both his name and geographic proximity to Poulsen.
ADRIAN LAMO
Free-spirited Lamo wanted to exploit security weaknesses in systems such as the New York Times, Yahoo, Blogger, and other companies. He was represented by former Federal Public Defender Sean Hecker (currently a partner at Debevoise & Plimpton).
VLADIMIR LEONIDOVICH LEVIN
Levin and his associates transferred $10 million to bank accounts worldwide by breaching Citibank's computer systems. He is a Russian national with accomplices in other countries. Attorney information is not available.
MARCEL LEHEL LAZAR
A Romanian hacker who identified himself as “Guccifer,” Lehel Lazar's goal was to identity theft and access to sensitive information (i.e., photos, medical records, correspondence, etc.) belonging to high ranking U.S. officials. Approximately 100 Americans were impacted, with this information later publicly released. "His victims included an immediate family member of two former U.S. presidents, a former member of the U.S. Cabinet, a former member of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and a former presidential advisor". He was represented by Federal Public Defender Shannon Quill.
JOHN SCHIEFER
The first hacker to use a "bot net" to violate federal wiretapping laws, Schiefer infected more than 250,000 computers with malicious software and spyware used to steal personal data. His interest seems to be both financial and experimental in nature. He was represented by Arthur Barens.
MARK ABENE
One of the members of the hacker group MOD ("Masters of Disaster"), Abene was charged with electronically accessing computer switching systems at telecommunications companies such as Pacific Bell and US West, as well as systems at credit reporting agencies. He did not receive money for these breaches, and stated that they were a result of his inquisitive nature. The case is noteworthy as it is the first instance of court-authorized wiretaps targeting computer hackers. Abene's attorney was not identified.
CONCLUSION
The top 10 most famous non-violent computers hackers are: Kevin Mitnick, Jonathan James, Max Ray Butler, Albert Gonzalez, Kevin Poulsen, Adrian Lamo, Vladimir Leonidovich Levin, Marcel Lehel Lazar, John Schiefer and Mark Abene. The attached spreadsheet provides information on each hacker's crimes, possible motives, and media and legal information, as available.