{"id":36532,"date":"2013-11-18T12:00:03","date_gmt":"2013-11-18T12:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=36532"},"modified":"2015-05-05T22:21:12","modified_gmt":"2015-05-05T21:21:12","slug":"jeremy-hammonds-sentencing-statement-highlighting-global-criminal-exploits-by-fbi-handlers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2013\/11\/jeremy-hammonds-sentencing-statement-highlighting-global-criminal-exploits-by-fbi-handlers\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeremy Hammond’s Court Statement upon Receiving a 10-Year Prison Sentence: Criminal Exploits by FBI Handlers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Jeremy<\/a>

Jeremy Hammond, by Molly Crabapple<\/p><\/div>\n

November 17, 2013<\/i> – Jeremy Hammond, a 28-year-old political activist, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to participating in the Anonymous hack into the computers of the private intelligence firm Strategic Forecasting (Stratfor). \u00a0The Ceremonial Courtroom at the Federal Court for the Southern District of New York was filled today with\u00a0an outpouring of support by journalists, activists and other whistleblowers who see Jeremy Hammond\u2019s actions as a form of civil disobedience, motivated by a desire to protest and expose the secret activities of private intelligence corporations.<\/p>\n

The hearing opened with arguments as to what sections of the court record will remain redacted after sentencing. While Jeremy\u2019s attorneys initially erred on the side of caution in previous memorandums and kept large pieces of the record redacted, both the defense and prosecution agreed this morning that many of the sections should now be made available for public view. The prosecution, however took stiff exception to portions of the court record being made public that indicate victims, specifically foreign governments, that Jeremy allegedly hacked under the direction of Hector \u201cSabu\u201d Monsegur, the FBI informant at the helm of Jeremy\u2019s alleged actions. Judge Preska ordered that the names of these foreign governments remain sealed.<\/p>\n

Jeremy\u2019s lead counsel, Sarah Kunstler, who is 9 months pregnant and due to give birth today, delivered a passionate testimonial as to the person that Jeremy is, and the need for people like Jeremy during this era of exponential changes in our socio-political landscape. \u00a0She was followed by co-counsel, Susan Keller, who wept as she recalled her own experiences reading the hundreds of letters from supporters to the court detailing Jeremy Hammond\u2019s unbridled selflessness and enthusiastic volunteerism. \u00a0She pointed out that it was this same selflessness that motivated Jeremy\u2019s actions in this case. \u00a0She closed her testimony by underscoring that, \u201cThe centerpiece of our argument is a young man with high hopes and unbelievably laudable expectations in this world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susan was followed by Jeremy Hammond himself, who gave a detailed, touching and consequential allocution to the court. \u00a0The following is Jeremy\u2019s statement to the court. \u00a0We have redacted a portion [marked in red]<\/strong><\/span> upon the orders of Judge Preska. \u00a0While we believe the public has a right to know the redacted information therein, we refuse to publish information that could adversely effect Jeremy or his counsel.<\/p>\n

JEREMY\u2019 HAMMOND SENTENCING STATEMENT – Nov 15, 2013<\/i><\/strong>\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Good morning. Thank you for this opportunity. My name is Jeremy Hammond and I\u2019m here to be sentenced for hacking activities carried out during my involvement with Anonymous. I have been locked up at MCC for the past 20 months and have had a lot of time to think about how I would explain my actions.<\/i><\/p>\n

Before I begin, I want to take a moment to recognize the work of the people who have supported me. I want to thank all the lawyers and others who worked on my case: Elizabeth Fink, Susan Kellman, Sarah Kunstler, Emily Kunstler, Margaret Kunstler, and Grainne O\u2019Neill. I also want to thank the National Lawyers Guild, the Jeremy Hammond Defense Committee and Support Network, Free Anons, the Anonymous Solidarity Network, Anarchist Black Cross, and all others who have helped me by writing a letter of support, sending me letters, attending my court dates, and spreading the word about my case. I also want to shout out my brothers and sisters behind bars and those who are still out there fighting the power.<\/i><\/p>\n

The acts of civil disobedience and direct action that I am being sentenced for today are in line with the principles of community and equality that have guided my life. I hacked into dozens of high profile corporations and government institutions, understanding very clearly that what I was doing was against the law, and that my actions could land me back in federal prison. But I felt that I had an obligation to use my skills to expose and confront injustice\u2014and to bring the truth to light.<\/i><\/p>\n

Could I have achieved the same goals through legal means? I have tried everything from voting petitions to peaceful protest and have found that those in power do not want the truth to be exposed. When we speak truth to power we are ignored at best and brutally suppressed at worst. We are confronting a power structure that does not respect its own system of checks and balances, never mind the rights of it\u2019s own citizens or the international community.<\/i><\/p>\n

My introduction to politics was when George W. Bush stole the\u00a0Presidential election in 2000, then took advantage of the waves of racism and patriotism after 9\/11 to launch unprovoked imperialist wars against Iraq and Afghanistan. I took to the streets in protest naively believing our voices would be heard in Washington and we could stop the war. Instead, we were labeled as traitors, beaten, and arrested.<\/i><\/p>\n

I have been arrested for numerous acts of civil disobedience on the streets of Chicago, but it wasn\u2019t until 2005 that I used my computer skills to break the law in political protest. I was arrested by the FBI for hacking into the computer systems of a right-wing, pro-war group called Protest Warrior, an organization that sold racist t-shirts on their website and harassed anti-war groups. I was charged under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and the \u201cintended loss\u201d in my case was arbitrarily calculated by multiplying the 5000 credit cards in Protest Warrior\u2019s database by $500, resulting in a total of $2.5 million.My sentencing guidelines were calculated on the basis of this \u201closs,\u201d even though not a single credit card was used or distributed \u2013 by me or anyone else. I was sentenced to two years in prison.<\/i><\/p>\n

While in prison I have seen for myself the ugly reality of how the criminal justice system destroys the lives of the millions of people held captive behind bars. The experience solidified my opposition to repressive forms of power and the importance of standing up for what you believe.<\/i><\/p>\n

When I was released, I was eager to continue my involvement in struggles for social change. I didn\u2019t want to go back to prison, so I focused on above-ground community organizing. But over time, I became frustrated with the limitations, of peaceful protest, seeing it as reformist and ineffective. The Obama administration continued the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, escalated the use of drones, and failed to close Guantanamo Bay.<\/i><\/p>\n

Around this time, I was following the work of groups like Wikileaks and Anonymous. It was very inspiring to see the ideas of hactivism coming to fruition. I was particularly moved by the heroic actions of Chelsea Manning, who had exposed the atrocities committed by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. She took an enormous personal risk to leak this information \u2013 believing that the public had a right to know and hoping that her disclosures would be a positive step to end these abuses. It is heart-wrenching to hear about her cruel treatment in military lockup.<\/i><\/p>\n

I thought long and hard about choosing this path again. I had to ask myself, if Chelsea Manning fell into the abysmal nightmare of prison fighting for the truth, could I in good conscience do any less, if I was able? I thought the best way to demonstrate solidarity was to continue the work of exposing and confronting corruption.<\/i><\/p>\n

I was drawn to Anonymous because I believe in autonomous, decentralized direct action. At the time Anonymous was involved in operations in support of the Arab Spring uprisings, against censorship, and in defense of Wikileaks. I had a lot to contribute, including technical skills, and how to better articulate ideas and goals. It was an exciting time \u2013 the birth of a digital dissent movement, where the definitions and capabilities of hacktivism were being shaped.<\/i><\/p>\n

I was especially interested in the work of the hackers of LulzSec who were breaking into some significant targets and becoming increasingly political. Around this time, I first started talking to Sabu, who was very open about the hacks he supposedly committed, and was encouraging hackers to unite and attack major government and corporate systems under the banner of Anti Security. But very early in my involvement, the other Lulzsec hackers were arrested, leaving me to break into systems and write press releases. Later, I would learn that Sabu had been the first one arrested, and that the entire time I was talking to him he was an FBI informant.<\/i><\/p>\n

Anonymous was also involved in the early stages of Occupy Wall Street. I was regularly participating on the streets as part of Occupy Chicago and was very excited to see a worldwide mass movement against the injustices of capitalism and racism. In several short months, the \u201cOccupations\u201d came to an end, closed by police crackdowns and mass arrests of protestors who were kicked out of their own public parks. The repression of Anonymous and the Occupy Movement set the tone for Antisec in the following months \u2013 the majority of our hacks against police targets were in retaliation for the arrests of our comrades.<\/i><\/p>\n

I targeted law enforcement systems because of the racism and inequality with which the criminal law is enforced. I targeted the manufacturers and distributors of military and police equipment who profit from weaponry used to advance U.S. political and economic interests abroad and to repress people at home. I targeted information security firms because they work in secret to protect government and corporate interests at the expense of individual rights, undermining and discrediting activists, journalists and other truth seekers, and spreading disinformation.<\/i><\/p>\n

I had never even heard of Stratfor until Sabu brought it to my attention. Sabu was encouraging people to invade systems, and helping to strategize and facilitate attacks. He even provided me with vulnerabilities of targets passed on by other hackers, so it came as a great surprise when I learned that Sabu had been working with the FBI the entire time.<\/i><\/p>\n

On December 4, 2011, Sabu was approached by another hacker who had already broken into Stratfor\u2019s credit card database. Sabu, under the watchful eye of his government handlers, then brought the hack to Antisec by inviting this hacker to our private chatroom, where he supplied download links to the full credit card database as well as the initial vulnerability access point to Stratfor\u2019s systems.<\/i><\/p>\n

I spent some time researching Stratfor and reviewing the information we were given, and decided that their activities and client base made them a deserving target. I did find it ironic that Stratfor\u2019s wealthy and powerful customer base had their credit cards used to donate to humanitarian organizations, but my main role in the attack was to retrieve Stratfor\u2019s private email spools which is where all the dirty secrets are typically found.<\/i><\/p>\n

It took me more than a week to gain further access into Stratfor\u2019s internal systems, but I eventually broke into their mail server. There was so much information, we needed several servers of our own in order to transfer the emails. Sabu, who was involved with the operation at every step, offered a server, which was provided and monitored by the FBI. Over the next weeks, the emails were transferred, the credit cards were used for donations, and Stratfor\u2019s systems were defaced and destroyed. Why the FBI would introduce us to the hacker who found the initial vulnerability and allow this hack to continue remains a mystery.<\/i><\/p>\n

As a result of the Stratfor hack, some of the dangers of the unregulated private intelligence industry are now known. It has been revealed through Wikileaks and other journalists around the world that Stratfor maintained a worldwide network of informants that they used to engage in intrusive and possibly illegal surveillance activities on behalf of large multinational corporations.<\/i><\/p>\n

After Stratfor, I continued to break into other targets, using a powerful\u00a0\u201czero day exploit\u201d allowing me administrator access to systems\u00a0running the popular Plesk webhosting platform. Sabu asked me many times for access to this exploit, which I refused to give him. Without his own independent access, Sabu continued to supply me with lists of vulnerable targets. I broke into numerous websites he supplied, uploaded the stolen email accounts and databases onto Sabu\u2019s FBI server, and handed over passwords and backdoors that enabled Sabu (and, by extension, his FBI handlers) to control these targets.<\/i><\/p>\n

These intrusions, all of which were suggested by Sabu while cooperating with the FBI, affected thousands of domain names and consisted largely of foreign government websites, including those of XXXXXXX<\/strong>, XXXXXXXX, XXXX, XXXXXX, XXXXX, XXXXXXXX, XXXXXXX<\/strong><\/span> and the XXXXXX XXXXXXX<\/strong><\/span>. In one instance, Sabu and I provided access information to hackers who went on to deface and destroy many government websites in XXXXXX<\/strong><\/span>. I don\u2019t know how other information I provided to him may have been used, but I think the government\u2019s collection and use of this data needs to be investigated.<\/i><\/p>\n

The government celebrates my conviction and imprisonment, hoping that it will close the door on the full story. I took responsibility for my actions, by pleading guilty, but when will the government be made to answer for its crimes?<\/i><\/p>\n

The U.S. hypes the threat of hackers in order to justify the multi billion dollar cyber security industrial complex, but it is also responsible for the same conduct it aggressively prosecutes and claims to work to prevent. The hypocrisy of \u201claw and order\u201d and the injustices caused by capitalism cannot be cured by institutional reform but through civil disobedience and direct action. Yes I broke the law, but I believe that sometimes laws must be broken in order to make room for change.<\/i><\/p>\n

In the immortal word of Frederick Douglas, \u201cPower concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

This is not to say that I do not have any regrets. I realize that I released the personal information of innocent people who had nothing to do with the operations of the institutions I targeted. I apologize for the release of data that was harmful to individuals and irrelevant to my goals. I believe in the individual right to privacy \u2013 from government surveillance, and from actors like myself, and I appreciate the irony of my own involvement in the trampling of these rights. I am committed to working to make this world a better place for all of us. I still believe in the importance of hactivism as a form of civil disobedience, but it is time for me to move on to other ways of seeking change. My time in prison has taken a toll on my family, friends, and community. I know I am needed at home. I recognize that 7 years ago I stood before a different federal judge, facing similar charges, but this does not lessen the sincerity of what I say to you today.<\/i><\/p>\n

It has taken a lot for me to write this, to explain my actions, knowing that doing so \u2014 honestly \u2014 could cost me more years of my life in prison. I am aware that I could get as many as 10 years, but I hope that I do not, as I believe there is so much work to be done.<\/i><\/p>\n

STAY STRONG AND KEEP STRUGGLING!<\/strong><\/p>\n

To schedule interviews with Jeremy Hammond\u2019s attorneys and supporters following today\u2019s sentencing please contact Andy Stepanian, 631.291.3010,\u00a0andy@sparrowmedia.net<\/a>.<\/p>\n

__________________________<\/p>\n

The Jeremy Hammond Defense Committee\u00a0is a coalition of family members, activists, lawyers, and other supporters who are working together to protect free speech and to support Jeremy Hammond. The committee\u2019s goal is to provide information to the public and the press, to organize events related to Jeremy\u2019s case, and to support Jeremy while he is in jail. \u00a0For more information,\u00a0please visit\u00a0http:\/\/freejeremy.net<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

Go to Original \u2013 sparrowmedia.net<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It has taken a lot for me to write this, to explain my actions, knowing that doing so \u2014 honestly \u2014 could cost me more years of my life in prison. I am aware that I could get as many as 10 years, but I hope that I do not, as I believe there is so much work to be done.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,45,59,65,62,139,60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-activism","category-nonviolence","category-anglo-america","category-media","category-justice","category-whistleblowing-surveillance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36532\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}