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Melissa Author Pleads Guilty
12/10/99
Various
David L. Smith, author of the Melissa Virus, plead guilty in Federal court to a second-degree charge of computer theft today. The charge centered around his hijacking of an AOL account for the distribution of his MS Word macro virus.
The virus, spread through the mailboxes of unsuspecting Microsoft Outlook users, clogged the mail servers of giants such as Disney and Ford Motor Company.
"Yes, I admit those events occurred as a result of the spread of the Melissa virus. But I did not expect or anticipate the amount of damage that took place. When I posted the virus, I expected that any financial injury would be minor and incidental. In fact, I included features designed to prevent substantial damage. I had no idea there would be such profound consequences to others," Smith said to the court as part of a prepared statement.
The crime of computer theft carries between five and ten years in prison and a $150,000 fine.
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