Friday, May 1, 2009

Mindcode CEO Sentenced In Hacking Case

Bellevue-based Minecode and its Chief Executive Officer have been sentenced in a computer hacking case, the U.S. attorney's office of the Western District of Washington announced this week. According to the U.S. Attorney, Minecode's President and CEo, Pradyumna Samal, has been sentenced to 90 days of home confinement with electronic monitoring, 288 hours of community services, and three years of probation. In addition, Minecode was sented to three years of probation, a $144,000 fine, and $120,000 in restitution. Minecode had been convicted of hacking into e-commerce wine supplier Vinado, and deleting the firm's web site, after a contract dispute. Samal's conviction comes after a similar sentencing of the project manager at the firm, Sandeep Verma, who received one year of probation and 40 hours of community service. The U.S. Attorney's office said that Vinado's owners lost their home and had damages of over $115,000, and ultimately was forced out of business due to the hacking.