The Romanian man who exposed Hillary Clinton’s private email domain through his hacking of a Clinton confidante faces sentencing in Alexandria, Va. on Thursday.
(FOX)- Marcel Lazar – better known by his moniker “Guccifer” – pleaded guilty in May to two charges tied to his cyber intrusion of dozens of Americans, including former Clinton aide Sidney Blumenthal. In addition to Blumenthal, among the roughly 100 victims Lazar admitted to targeting over the course of a U.S. government-described “computer hacking spree” are former Secretary of State Colin Powell and Dorothy Bush Koch, sister of former president George W. Bush.
For Lazar, Federal prosecutors are seeking a sentence of at least 4 years – to include a mandatory sentence of 24 months for the charge of aggravated identity theft, along with the request of a minimum 24-month sentence for the charge of unauthorized access to a protected computer. Those sentences are to be served consecutively.
A public defender representing Lazar is asking for 36-months, citing his cooperation with U.S. authorities and the fact that he must finish a separate 7-year sentence in Romania once his U.S. term is fulfilled.
“While there is no question that Mr. Lazar’s hacking activity was serious and extensive, it was not particularly sophisticated, and his intent was never to steal money or otherwise profit from the information to which he gained access,” Guccifer’s defense attorney argued in a sentencing memorandum filed Monday.
Court document show Guccifer carried out these cybercrimes between 2012 and 2014.