US hacker pleads guilty to credit card theft
A 26-year-old computer hacker pleaded guilty on Thursday to stealing hundreds of thousands of credit card numbers, causing losses of more than $36 million.
Rogelio Hackett, of Lithonia, Georgia, entered the plea in an Alexandria, Virginia court, the Justice Department said in a statement.
US Secret Service special agents found more than 675,000 stolen credit card numbers in Hackett's computers and email accounts during a 2009 search of his home, the department said.
Hackett acknowledged in court documents that he had obtained credit card numbers for the previous seven years by hacking into business computer networks, downloading credit card databases or purchasing them on the Internet.
He also admitted selling credit card information and counterfeit cards to acquire gift cards and merchandise.
Tens of thousands of fraudulent transactions were traced to the card numbers acquired by Hackett, totaling more than $36 million.
Hackett will be sentenced on July 22. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on fraud charges and an additional two years for identity theft.
(c) 2011 AFP