(Nov. 17)
Twenty-year-old Robert J. Riggs of Decatur, Ga., has been sentenced to a
21-month prison term on federal charges of breaking into a nine-state 911
emergency network and passing access codes to other computerists.
Two associates -- Franklin E. Darden Jr., 23, of Norcross, Ga., and Adam E.
Grant, 22, of Atlanta -- were handed 14-month prison terms, seven of which can
be served in a halfway house.
The three were alleged members of the underground "Legion of Doom" computing
group. As reported earlier, Riggs and Darden pleaded guilty to one count of
conspiracy each and faced up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Grant
pleaded guilty to possessing 15 or more BellSouth access devices with intent to
defraud and could have received 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Reporting from Atlanta, The Associated Press says US District Judge Owen
Forrester ordered the three to serve probation and perform community service
after they serve their prison time.
As noted, Riggs was charged with breaking into the Atlanta-based BellSouth
Corp's 911 network covering Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky,
Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. The intrusion, which
occurred between September 1987 & July 1989, did not disrupt service. A stolen
computer program was published in an electronic newsletter.
Darden's lawyer, Michael Hauptman, told the court yesterday his client "was
involved in a quest for knowledge. Frank was addicted to this world of computer
doors ... put before him."
Judge Forrester ordered Riggs to surrender to begin his sentence no earlier
than Feb. 15, while Darden and Grant were told to report Jan. 4.
Meanwhile, a threatened attack on phone networks by computer vandals in
response to the sentence apparently did not materialize. As reported yesterday,
sources told AP that phone companies around the country were taking special
precautions because of rumors of a possible attack.
--Charles Bowen
