Palin Hacker Sentenced to 1 Year, 1 Day

Judge recommends halfway house, not jail

By Newser Editors and Wire Services

Posted Nov 12, 2010 11:50 AM CST

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Palin Hacker Sentenced to 1 Year, 1 Day — David Kernell, third from left, walks to the Federal Courthouse with his mother, Lt. Col. Lillian Landrigan, second from left, and his attorneys, Nov. 12, 2010 in Knoxville, Tenn. (Wade Payne)

A man who was convicted of hacking into Sarah Palin's email during the 2008 presidential campaign has been sentenced to a year and a day, with the judge recommending the term be served in a halfway house, not prison. Federal Judge Thomas W. Phillips also said David Kernell, who was a 20-year-old economics major at the University of Tennessee when he deduced the answers to security questions and read emails in Palin's private account, should get mental health treatment.

Kernell apologized in court today to the former Republican vice presidential candidate and her family. The judge rejected a recommendation from prosecutors who argued for 18 months in prison. It will be up to the Bureau of Prisons to decide whether Kernell is allowed to go to a halfway house.

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