rsk@pucc-h (Rich Kulawiec (Vombatus Hirsutus)) (10/18/84)
(Reprinted w/o permission from USA Today 10/18/84)
"TV Adapter: Too smart for his own good?"
Computer nerds aren't always as swift as you might think. Just ask Cpl. Bud
McCloud, 33, of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in Phoenix, Ariz. An
enterprising 16-year-old recently used the local police computer bulletin
board to advertise his expertise at installing illegal cable TV decoding
devices. The electronic message center generally is just a forum for
questions and banter. After seeing the message, McCloud and a deputy posed
as residents wanted to pirate cable TV signals. When the youth accepted $30
from the officers for his services, they cuffed him. "He was flabbergasted,"
McCloud says. "Either he couldn't read that it was the police bulletin board
he had advertised on, or he's just incredibly stupid."
(End of reprint)
--
---Rsk
UUCP: { decvax, icalqa, ihnp4, inuxc, sequent, uiucdcs } !pur-ee!rsk
{ decwrl, hplabs, icase, psuvax1, siemens, ucbvax } !purdue!rsk
"It'll definitely improve our reputation as a party school."
--anonymous Purdue student, on TV-18 (local) news, Saturday, 10/6/84
after a Friday night of spontaneous rioting.jehannum@teneron.UUCP (Chris Osburn) (10/29/84)
> > (Reprinted w/o permission from USA Today 10/18/84) > > "TV Adapter: Too smart for his own good?" > > Computer nerds aren't always as swift as you might think. Just ask Cpl. Bud > McCloud, 33, of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in Phoenix, Ariz. An > enterprising 16-year-old recently used the local police computer bulletin > board to advertise his expertise at installing illegal cable TV decoding > devices. The electronic message center generally is just a forum for > questions and banter. After seeing the message, McCloud and a deputy posed > as residents wanted to pirate cable TV signals. When the youth accepted $30 > from the officers for his services, they cuffed him. "He was flabbergasted," > McCloud says. "Either he couldn't read that it was the police bulletin board > he had advertised on, or he's just incredibly stupid." > > (End of reprint) > -- Didn't John DeLorean get off because of these tactics? Sure, the 16-year-old in question was a little dingy for advertising where he did, but that doesn't alter the fact that what USA Today reported sounds a lot like entrapment... ------------------------- Christopher J. Osburn ...!tektronix!reed!teneron!jehannum Teneron Corporation ...!tektronix!ogcvax!metheus!teneron!jehannum 6700 SW 105 Ave. Ste 200 Beaverton, Oregon 97005 (503) 646-1599 the opinions expressed are those of a small furry animal that gets its entertainment jumping up and down on crt keyboards in seemingly random patterns...
lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein) (11/02/84)
No, it's not entrapment, since the person in question had already expressed his clear "willingness" (predisposition) to commit a crime by first "advertising" his skills on the Police BBS! This is exactly the same situation as someone putting an ad in the paper saying that they will happily buy stolen goods, and then having the police go out to actually buy some. No entrapment. Now, if they had pretty randomly selected this kid and tried to get him to commit his illegal act when there was no prior evidence that he wanted to do such things, then THAT would be entrapment. This is the sort of case DeLorean had. He was chosen because he was a "big name," even though there was no evidence that he was interested in drug dealing, then manipulated to commit actions that he wasn't otherwise predisposed to commit, and that he wouldn't have done at all if they hadn't come along. --Lauren--
jimb@amd.UUCP (Jim Budler) (11/02/84)
In article <teneron.123> jehannum@teneron.UUCP (Chris Osburn) writes: >> "TV Adapter: Too smart for his own good?" >> enterprising 16-year-old recently used the local police computer bulletin >> board to advertise his expertise at installing illegal cable TV decoding > >Didn't John DeLorean get off because of these tactics? Sure, >the 16-year-old in question was a little dingy for advertising >where he did, but that doesn't alter the fact that what USA Today >reported sounds a lot like entrapment... > > The difference in the John DeLorean case was that the government instigated the entire transaction, approaching DeLorean with the idea and having no information as to any illegal intent on his part PRIOR to the government's suggestion. The ad by the 16 year old is a clear demonstration of prior intent and thus the police approach is not considered entrapment. It is merely an act of obtaining evidence. -- Jim Budler Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (408) 982-6547 UUCPnet: {ucbvax,decwrl,ihnp4,allegra,intelca}!amd!jimb Compuserve ID: 72415,1200
john@x.UUCP (John Woods) (11/06/84)
As I see it, the hacker who was arrested was not "entrapped"; he advertised his services (which were illegal), and the police merely followed his instructions to find him, and in pretending to desire to purchase the illegal cable converter, merely verified the advertisement. DeLorean's claim (and the basis of entrapment) is that he was approached out of the blue by the agents, who suggested to him that he could get rich by selling drugs. He didn't take out an advertisement in the Wall Street Journal asking "Wanted: High-yield investment situation involving illicit chemicals...". *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR DISCLAIMER *** -- John Woods, Charles River Data Systems, Framingham MA, (617) 626-1114 ...!decvax!frog!john, ...!mit-eddie!jfw, jfw%mit-ccc@MIT-XX.ARPA