Hacker Lamo's Sentencing Postponed

Adrian Lamo, a computer hacker who pleaded guilty in January to charges stemming from an intrusion into the private network of The New York Times, will have to wait until June to find out his sentence. A sentencing hearing scheduled for Thursday was postponed until June 16, says Sean Hecker, Lamo's federal public defender.

Both Lamo and Hecker declined to comment on the reasons for the postponement.

Lamo entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in January. As part of deal, Lamo agreed that his actions caused losses in the range of $30,000 to $70,000, which include the costs of intrusions into the Times, use of the LexisNexis database, and access to a Microsoft database in October 2001.

During the past few years, Lamo built a reputation for breaking into corporate computer systems, notifying the companies about their security holes, and then offering free help to fix those security holes. Some of the companies, including WorldCom (now MCI), publicly thanked Lamo for helping them to fix the security problems.

Lamo surrendered to federal investigators in September and was released on a $250,000 bond into the custody of his parents. Following his arrest, Lamo began studying journalism and has expressed interest in pursuing a journalism career after he completes his sentence.

While Lamo wouldn't comment about his sentencing postponement, in an earlier interview he said: "I always said that I was aware that my actions have consequences and that I wouldn't deny the consequences of my actions."