It took two years, but Terry Childs, former network administrator for the city of San Francisco, has finally been convicted of one felony count of computer tampering.
In 2008, Childs changed the system's router passwords and then for more than a week refused to give them to anyone, even after being arrested. He finally revealed them to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, and was charged with four felony counts, basically of variations on hacking.
Last, August, San Francisco Superior Court judge Kevin McCarthy dropped three of the four charges, related to his attaching three modems to the network. The charge associated with his refusing to reveal the passwords stayed.
This week, after three days of deliberation, Childs was found guilty of the charge and is now facing from two to five years in prison, according to an article in the San Jose Mercury News. Sentencing is scheduled for June 14.
Because the crime cost more than $200,000, Childs is eligible for the full five-year penalty, according to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle.
However, the article continued, it is expected that Childs will receive credit for the two years he has already served, and is likely to receive only a few more additional months.
Jurors included a network engineer, who was quoted criticizing the city for ineffective management. The jury also deadlocked until one juror was removed for an undisclosed reason.
Childs' attorney contended that the reason he refused to turn over the passwords was because his bosses were asking him to do so over an unsecure phone line.