David Goodyear, Cyber-Attack, Oklahoma 2016

OKLAHOMA CITY – David Chesley Goodyear, 44, of El Segundo, California, has been found guilty of unleashing a relentless cyberattack against Astronomics, a family-owned telescope retailer in Norman, Oklahoma. A federal jury delivered the verdict today, finding Goodyear responsible for the distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that crippled Astronomics’ websites in August 2016. The attacks weren’t random; they were a targeted act of digital vengeance.

DDoS attacks, for the uninitiated, are essentially digital sieges. Goodyear flooded the victim’s computer systems with a tidal wave of useless data from a “botnet” – a network of compromised devices infected with malware and operating under his remote control. This effectively locked legitimate customers out, bringing the business to a standstill. The attacks targeted not only the retail site but also Cloudy Nights, the world’s largest free astronomy forum hosted by Astronomics.

The evidence presented at trial painted a picture of a disgruntled user. Goodyear, using a rotating series of aliases, had been a frequent poster on Cloudy Nights. Repeatedly violating the forum’s terms of service – through threats directed at users, administrators, and moderators – he was repeatedly banned. But Goodyear didn’t simply walk away. On August 13, 2016, even after being barred under the “JamesSober” account, he brazenly posted under a new identity, “HawaiiAPUser,” lacing his messages with pornography, profanity, and explicit threats. He vowed to “talk with [his] contacts and just DOS this site as well as A55tronomics.”

And he followed through. Almost immediately after the threats, the DDoS attacks commenced, intermittently hammering both Astronomics and Cloudy Nights until the end of August 2016. The digital assault ceased only after Goodyear was interviewed by law enforcement and confessed to orchestrating the attacks. The FBI led the investigation, receiving crucial support from the U.S. Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force in Los Angeles, which included personnel from the Los Angeles Police Department.

The jury needed just an hour and a half to reach a guilty verdict. Goodyear now faces a potential ten-year federal prison sentence, along with three years of supervised release, a hefty $250,000.00 fine, and a requirement to pay restitution to Astronomics for the damages caused by his digital rampage. Sentencing will be scheduled by the court at a later date. Assistant U.S. Attorneys McKenzie Anderson and William Farrior prosecuted the case.

This case underscores the real-world consequences of online behavior and the growing threat of cybercrime. While often perceived as victimless, DDoS attacks can cripple businesses, disrupt essential services, and carry significant financial and legal repercussions for perpetrators. The Western District of Oklahoma, along with federal partners, continues to aggressively pursue those who attempt to weaponize the internet.

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