telecom@eecs.nwu.edu (TELECOM Moderator) (08/19/90)
An interesting case in federal court here in Chicago Friday involved the sentencing of a woman who Judge Milton Shadur referred to as 'the mastermind behind 152 hackers and phreaks nationally ...' Judge Shadur sentenced her on Friday to two years in the custody of the Attorney General, based on her plea of guilty to one count of a seventeen count indictment. Leslie Lynn Douchette, 36, and mother of two small children was referred to by Secret Service investigators as 'the head of the largest ring of hackers and phreaks ever uncovered in the United States'. In TELECOM Digest, notice was made of Ms. Douchette at the time of her indictment and arrest, but unlike other high-profile cases, little more was noted about her in the media over the past few months. Ms. Douchette, of 6748 North Ashland Avenue in Chicago, along with her ring of phreaks and crackers (the term I prefer) allegedly cost various telephone companies in excess of one million dollars. In addition, Ms. Douchette and associates are alleged to have obtained over $600,000 from illicitly obtained Western Union money orders and merchandise acquired with fraudulent credit cards using the computer. Many members of her ring were juveniles, and many were associated with or considered themselves active in the Legion of Doom, although there is no evidence Ms. Douchette was a member of, or associated with the Legion. Six juveniles in four other states have been convicted as part of the ring operated by Ms. Douchette, and investigations of other ring members is continuing. Some of the pending investigations center around phreaks and crackers already under investigation for Legion of Doom activities, according to US Attorney William J. Cook, who prosecuted the case with attorney Colleen Coughlin. As part of her plea-bargained sentence, Ms. Douchette is cooperating fully with the government on pending investigations. She has given *additional names* and details to Secret Service investigators. Although Ms. Douchette said she once worked as a day care employee in Canada, Mr. Cook said she had been unemployed for some time, and appeared to be 'completely unskilled, unable to obtain any gainful and legitimate employment.' He continued, "her only skill seems to be her ability to use the telephone to manipulate people and computers." The sentence (actually two years and three months) is believed to be the stiffest ever given out to a phreak, and Mr. Cook noted this was given to her *despite* her plea of guilty. At the time of her sentencing, Judge Shadur remarked that he thought Ms. Douchette also needed psychiatric help, and his order calls for her to receive therapy while in prison. Ms. Douchette was represented by attorney Robert Seeder of the Federal Defender's Office here. At the time of sentencing, Mr. Seeder noted that Ms. Douchette's activities have now cost her the custody of her two children (both were taken from her and are now cared for elsewhere), and that by her plea, she had recognized and acknowledged responsibility for her actions. He asked Judge Shadur to show mercy upon the defendant and impose probation, with therapy as a condition. Judge Shadur refused, calling her 'the control center for phreaks and hackers everywhere.' Her motive, according to Mr. Cook, was the 'ego boost' she received as leader of the ring. Judge Shadur said 'phreaks and hackers need an example of what to expect when they are caught', and that Ms. Douchette's punishment and loss of custody of her children would serve that purpose. Patrick Townson