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For Immediate Release
September 29, 2003
United States Attorney
Southern District of California
Carol C. Lam
San Diego, California
Contact: John Parmley
Assistant United States Attorney
(619) 557-6198
President of San Diego Computer Security Company Indicted in Conspiracy
to Gain Unauthorized Access into Government Computers
United States Attorney Carol C. Lam announced today the arrest and subsequent
unsealing of an indictment charging
one defendant with conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to government,
agency or protected computers and obtaining information for financial
gain. BRETT EDWARD O'KEEFE is charged in a six-count indictment with engaging
in a conspiracy to access military, government and private sector computers.
The indictment alleges that the defendant was the President of Forensic
Tec Solutions, a computer security company located in San Diego, California.
It is alleged in the indictment that the object of the conspiracy was
for O'KEEFE and his co-conspirators to gain unauthorized access to government
and military computers, copy computer files and take these files to the
media in order to generate public visibility for his company. This would,
in turn, lead to new clients and increased profits. It is further alleged
that an additional object of the conspiracy was for O'KEEFE and his co-conspirators
to gain unauthorized access to private sector computers to copy information.
The defendant would then use this information to contact the victim companies
in an attempt to solicit their business.
According to the indictment, O'KEEFE and his co-conspirators possessed
without authorization files belonging to the following Government agencies:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States Army,
United States Navy, Department of Energy and National Institutes of Health.
O'KEEFE will be arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Nita L.
Stormes on September 30, 2003, at 10:30 a.m.
These arrests are the result of a year-long investigation which began
after agents from the Army Criminal Investigative Division and the Federal
Bureau of Investigation executed a federal search warrant at the Forensic
Tec offices on August 16, 2002. The investigation was conducted both locally
and nationally by agents and investigators from the FBI, United States
Army, United States Navy, Department of Energy, and NASA and with assistance
from the San Diego Regional Criminal Forensics Laboratory.
DEFENDANT
| Brett Edward O'Keefe | Date of Birth: 7/10/67 | Residence: San Diego, CA |
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
| Number of Defendants: One | Number of Counts: Six |
| Violations: |
Conspiracy to Gain Unauthorized Access into Government, Agency or Protected Computers and Obtain Information for Financial Gain in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. Obtaining Information Without Authorization From a Protected Computer
Through an Interstate Communication for Financial Gain in violation
of 18 U.S.C. § 1030 (a)(2)(B), (a)(2)(C) and (c)(2)(B)(i). |
AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Army-Computer Crime Investigative Unit of the Criminal Investigative Division, Department of Defense-Office of the Inspector General, United States Navy, Department of Energy-Office of the Inspector General, National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Office of the Inspector General, San Diego Regional Criminal Forensics Laboratory
An indictment itself is not evidence that the defendant committed the crimes charged. The defendant is presumed innocent until the Government meets its burden in court of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Last updated November 7, 2003 usdoj-crm/mis/ese