6.21.11: Powell Sentenced in Baltimore's First Computer Hacking Case
June 21, 2011 -- Concluding the city's first computer hacking case, Baltimore Circuit Court Judge M. Brooke Murdock sentenced Walter Powell today for repeatedly invading the computer system of his former employer.
Just days after being fired from his job at the Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems Inc. in September 2009, Powell started hacking the nonprofit organization's computer system. In one incident, Powell remotely hijacked a computerized presentation the the chief executive to the board of directors. After shutting the system down, Powell rebooted and presented pornography to the meeting's attendees.
Powell, who is now 52 years old and resides in the city's northeastern district, pled guilty to two counts of unlawful access to a computer causing a malfunction and one count of possessing a pass code without authorization. Judge Murdock sentenced him to two years in prison, suspend all but time served, 100 hours of community service, and three years of probation. She also stipulated that Powell is prohibited from going near BSAS facilities and the home of BSAS's chief executive, among other terms. Furthermore, he is barred from possessing software that enables remote access and monitoring of other computers.
Assistant State's Attorney Michael E. Leedy prosecuted the case.