Current Event: Convicted Botnet Leader Retains Job
In three sequential articles, ComputerWorld traces the sentencing of convicted botnet leader John Schiefer as well as his continued employment at the start-up Mahalo. Schiefer is an ex-security consultant and is the first botnet leader to be charged under the wiretap statutes. He entered his guilty plea almost a year ago, but sentencing has been delayed until now. He will be paying $2,500 in fines, paying nearly $20,000 in restitution, and spending 4 years in prison Perhaps what is more interesting is that Mahalo’s CEO Jason Calacanis has both allowed Scheifer to continue working during this time and has expressed a desire to offer him a job upon his release from prison. Calacanis has defended this decision on the basis that he trusts Schiefer and considers him a changed man from the person who committed the earlier crimes.