Hector Monsegur, or "Sabu" as he was known during his tenure as the head of LulzSec, has had his criminal sentencing postponed "in light of ... ongoing cooperation with the government."
After his work with the FBI led to the capture of five other LulzSec operatives, the U.S. District Attorney last week requested a six-month delay in Monsegur's sentencing as a reward for his instrumental role and ongoing cooperation in unraveling Anonymous offshoots LulzSec and AntiSec.
Those hacktivist organizations, and Monsegur himself, were responsible for the online break-in and disruption of several high-profile websites including Visa, Paypal, the CIA, News Corp. and others.
That might seem like small potatoes compared to the 124 years Monsegur will serve if given the maximum penalty for the 12 charges he faces. Although Monsegur likely has a plea deal, the details are being kept under wraps. According to several reports, the 28-year-old New Yorker "turned" on his fellow hackers in an effort to remain with his family — regardless of how long that will last.
The delay comes in spite of the fact that Monsegur pled guilty to multiple charges of criminal hacking and fraud. Monsegur is now scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 22, 2013.
After five other LulzSec operatives were picked up by law enforcement, Sabu was discovered to have been working with police for about six months, leading the hacking collective at the same time. To maintain the charade, Monsegur tweeted anti-establishment sentiment and continued to collaborate on ways to breach political targets and leak sensitive information. Monsegur remained one of the most vocal and instrumental members of the group even after he was working with the FBI.
In response to the other arrests, which occurred in March, Anonymous’ Twitter remarks condemned Monsegur’s actions and reiterated the mantra that Anonymous “is an idea” and can’t be stopped. Other hackers expressed their outrage and one even went as far as posting Monsegur’s home address and phone number to a forum.
The hacker-turned-informant was able to provide information that led to charges against LulzSec members Jake Davis, Ryan Ackroyd, Darren Martyn and Donncha O’Cearrbhail, as well as Jeremy Hammond who had ties to Antisec.
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