Gonzalez Accomplice Gets Two-Year Sentence

Engineer created a custom sniffing program dubbed "blabla” that hackers used to steal millions of credit and debit card numbers.

By  Kara Reeder | Dec 30, 2009
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Stephen Watt, a 25-year-old former Morgan Stanley software engineer, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison and three years of probation for his role in the TJX hack, reports Wired News. Watt has also been ordered to pay restitution to TJX in the amount of $171.5 million.

Watt created a custom sniffing program dubbed "blabla” that hackers used to steal millions of credit and debit card numbers from TJX's network. Watt's attorney, Michael Farkas, argued that his client had no idea his program would be put to criminal use. U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner didn't buy it.

Watt was an accomplice of hacker Albert Gonzalez, who recently pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy in Boston. Gonzalez has also pleaded guilty to charges in New York and New Jersey.

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