BUCHAREST, Romania - A Romanian computer programmer who hacked into computers used by the U.S. Navy, the Department of Energy and NASA has been convicted on Romanian charges and ordered to pay thousands in damages.
Victor Faur, 28, was also given a 16-month suspended prison sentence, his lawyer said Monday. The state court in the western city of Arad also ordered Faur to pay damages totaling $238,000 to the three U.S. government departments for hacking into their systems between Nov. 2005 and Sept. 2006, his lawyer, Sorin Bretotianu, said by telephone.
Bretotianu said the court convicted Faur on Thursday under a 2003 law making it illegal to break into an information system without authorization and to change, delete and alter data. Faur was tried in Romania because he hacked into the systems from his home in Arad.
The trial lasted 10 months. Faur argued that he exposed the vulnerabilities in the computer systems.
Bretotianu said his client is considering an appeal.
Faur had faced a possible 12 years in prison on the Romanian charges.
In 2006, Faur was indicted in the United States on nine federal counts of computer intrusion and one of conspiracy. He faces up to 54 years in prison if convicted of all counts, the U.S. Attorney's office said at the time.
The U.S. attorney's spokesman, Thom Mrozek, said at the time that Faur would be brought to Los Angeles for trial upon resolution of the Romanian case.
Faur's attorney, however, said he did not know about a case in the United States and the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
The U.S. government alleged Faur was the leader of a hacking group called "WhiteHat Team," whose main goal was to break into U.S. government computers because they are some of the most secure in the world.
