Timothy Sedlak, Attempted Computer Access, New York 2015

Florida Man Charged in NY Charity Hacking Case

Timothy Sedlak, 42, of Ocoee, Florida, was arrested on September 11, 2015, for attempting to gain unauthorized access to the computer network of a global charitable organization based in New York.

According to the criminal complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, from June 2015 to July 2015, computers associated with two internet protocol addresses made nearly four hundred thousand attempts to gain unauthorized access to the organization’s computer network.

The attempts resulted in numerous organization employees experiencing difficulty accessing their email accounts and being disrupted in their ability to conduct regular business functions.

Sedlak claimed to be using the computers to conduct ‘research’ into charitable organizations in the course of his work as a private investigator.

However, investigators found notes pertaining to the organization, its executive, and an individual publicly affiliated with the organization, as well as lists of email addresses and email servers, many of which included the word ‘jihad.’

Sedlak was charged with one count of attempted unauthorized access to a computer, which carries a maximum sentence of five years.

He was presented in federal court in Orlando, Florida, before United States Magistrate Judge Gregory J. Kelly.

The case is a reminder of the importance of cybersecurity and the need for organizations to take steps to protect themselves from hacking attempts.

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