Two Men Charged with Computer Intrusion
| U.S. Attorney’s Office November 04, 2009 |
INDIANAPOLIS—Scott R. Burgess, 45, Jasper, Indiana, and Walter D. Puckett, 39, Williamstown, Kentucky, were indicted today for computer intrusion, announced Timothy M. Morrison, U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Indiana, following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Indiana State Police.
The indictment alleges that Burgess and Puckett accessed the Stens Corporation computer systems, based in Jasper, Indiana, from various places on approximately 12 different occasions without authorization. The indictment also alleges that the computer intrusions were performed for the purpose of gaining commercial and personal financial benefit. The indictment further alleges that Burgess and Puckett were working for a business competitor of Stens at the time of the intrusions.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger, who is prosecuting the case for the government, Burgess and Puckett face a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. An initial hearing will be scheduled before a U.S. Magistrate Judge.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.