FAMU Student Sentenced to 22 Months’ Imprisonment for Unauthorized Computer Access

TALLAHASSEE, FL—Thomas F. Kirwin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced today the sentence of CHRISTOPHER JACQUETTE, 29, of Tallahassee, to 22 months’ imprisonment for aggravated identity theft, unauthorized access of a protected computer, and and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and unauthorized access of a computer, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371, 1028A, 1030, and 1349.

On December 2, 2008, Jacquette entered a guilty plea to the indictment alleging that he had conspired with fellow Florida A & M University students Lawrence Secrease and Marcus Barrington, to hack into the FAMU computer system for the purpose of making hundreds of unauthorized grade changes and changes to the residency status of multiple students attending the university. Evidence proffered in support of Jacquette’s plea established that in the course of a three month period between July and October 2007, Jacquette and his co-defendants caused the grades of approximately 90 FAMU students to be changed, effecting changes in approximately 650 grades overall. The grade changes increased the grade point averages of the majority of students whose grades were changed, which in turn, made these students eligible for financial aid in the form of grants, scholarships, and loans to which these students would not otherwise have been entitled. Approximately 114 of the grade changes at issue were failing “F” grades that were changed to “A” grades, which had the effect of awarding students thousands of dollars worth of credit hours to which they were not entitled. Jacquette and his co-conspirators also caused the residency status of certain students to be changed from out-of-state to in-state, thus reducing the amount of tuition owed to the university by thousands of dollars.

Jacquette and his co-conspirators were paid fees up to $600 for some of the unauthorized changes. The conspirators were able to access the FAMU computer system by surreptitiously installing keystroke loggers on computers used by employees of the registrar’s office. The keystroke loggers enabled the conspirators to obtain the secure user names and passwords of FAMU registrar’s office employees. The conspirators then used these names and passwords to access the FAMU computer system to make both grade and residency changes. After learning that FAMU had reversed the unauthorized grade changes, the conspirators accessed the computer system multiple times to change their grades back, once again improving students’ GPAs and changing failing grades to passing ones.

On April 14, 2009, at a sentencing hearing held on before the Honorable Stephan P. Mickle in United States District Court in Tallahassee, Jacquette was sentenced to a twenty-two months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release. In pronouncing sentencing, Judge Mickle emphasized the harm defendants’ actions had done to the reputation of the university, as well as to those students past and present, who had worked to earn their grades and diplomas legitimately.

Mr. Kirwin commended the dedication and tenacity of the FAMU Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation whose joint investigation led to the conviction. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Mountin.