Hacker Gets 18 Years for Framing Neighbor in Biden Threat

Attack started after parents reported man for kissing young son
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 13, 2011 2:31 AM CDT
Hacker Gets 18 Years for Framing Neighbor in Biden Threat
A Minnesota man hacked his neighbor's wireless account to make it appear that he had threatened Vice President Joe Biden.   (Getty Images)

A Minnesota man has been sentenced to 18 years for hacking into his neighbors' wireless account to send child pornography and threats against Vice President Joe Biden and other officials. Barry Ardolf aimed to "ruin" his neighbors' "reputation and livelihood," said an FBI spokesman. The two-year attack was motivated by revenge after the neighbors reported Ardolf to cops for planting a "wet kiss" on their young son's lips, reports the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

"I felt like my family and I were under attack" once the hacking started, victim Matt Kostolnik told the judge in the case. "We no longer felt safe in our own home." When Ardolf finally leaves prison, he'll be on supervised released for 20 years and will only be allowed to work with computers if his probation officer approves. "It's been difficult for me. I've felt no enjoyment," Ardolf said of the days he has spent in jail, where he said the food is "horrible." He added: "I didn't kill anyone." (More Barry Ardolf stories.)

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