Nikishna Polequaptewa, a 36-year-old man from Phoenix, has been convicted of hacking into his ex-employer’s computers, causing over $50,000 in damages.
The conviction stems from a five-day trial in which a federal jury found Polequaptewa guilty of one count of unauthorized impairment of a protected computer and causing over $50,000 in loss.
Polequaptewa used to work at Blue Stone Strategy Group, a consulting services company based in Irvine, California. He was hired in April 2014 and was responsible for leading the company’s information technology and marketing efforts. However, he was relieved of his IT and marketing duties in November 2014 after he began falling behind on work.
After being relieved of his duties, Polequaptewa was assigned to a consulting project in Florida for the Seminole Tribe. While on this project, he continued to delete Blue Stone’s files, including client information, company work product, and the company’s backup files held by a third-party. He even went as far as sending a ‘wipe’ command to a Blue Stone desktop computer in Irvine, causing the company to lose thousands of dollars in damages.
Polequaptewa’s actions were described by prosecutors as ‘a coordinated campaign to delete information and data.’ The damage caused by his actions cost Blue Stone over $50,000 to assess and respond to.
Polequaptewa faces a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on February 25, 2019, by United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney. The investigation into Polequaptewa was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office in Florida and the Irvine Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Vibhav Mittal and Bradley E. Marrett of the Santa Ana Branch Office. Polequaptewa lived in Garden Grove during the time of the criminal conduct in 2014.
A 36-year-old man from Phoenix has been convicted of hacking into his ex-employer’s computers, causing over $50,000 in damages. Nikishna Polequaptewa was found guilty of one count of unauthorized impairment of a protected computer and causing over $50,000 in loss.
Nikishna Polequaptewa was convicted of hacking into Blue Stone Strategy Group’s computers, causing over $50,000 in damages. He faces a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
