Cupertino Woman Sentenced for Computer Intrusion Ordered to Pay Restitution to Former Employer

SAN JOSE, CA—Ming Shao was sentenced Thursday to one year of probation with a 60-day term of home detention, and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and $20,747 in restitution for compromising the computers of her former employer, United States Attorney Melinda Haag announced.

Shao pleaded guilty on Nov. 18, 2010, to a one-count information charging felony computer intrusion in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1030(a)(2)(C) and (c)(2)(B)(iii). In the plea agreement, Shao admitted that the loss to PanTerra Networks, Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., was at least $10,000 and as much as $30,000, a figure that included PanTerra's reasonable costs in responding to the intrusions.

Shao was an employee of PanTerra from August 2007 to July 2009. Court records show that after leaving the company, Shao obtained unauthorized access to PanTerra's computer systems, including the e-mail accounts of two PanTerra employees. Shao admitted that through these accounts, she obtained confidential PanTerra information worth at least $5,000, some of which she downloaded to her personal computer and posted on public websites.

The investigation began after PanTerra discovered sensitive, internal company information posted on telecommunications industry websites and conducted an internal review of its computer systems.

Michelle J. Kane is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the case with the assistance of Lauri Gomez. The prosecution was the result of a five-month investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel.

Further Information:

Case #: CR 10-748

A copy of this press release may be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can.