Nebraska man gets year in federal prison for ‘Anonymous’ cyber attack on Scientology websites

Nebraska man sentenced in Scientology cyber attack

LOS ANGELES — A Nebraska man has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for his role in a cyber attack on the Church of Scientology’s websites two years ago.

Brian Thomas Mettenbrink, of Grand Island, Neb., was also ordered Monday to pay $20,000 in restitution and serve a year on supervised release after he gets out of prison.

The cyber attack was orchestrated by an underground group that calls itself “Anonymous” and protests the Church of Scientology, accusing it of Internet censorship.

Mettenbrink admitted being a member and pleaded guilty in February to a misdemeanor charge of unauthorized access of a protected computer.

U.S. District Judge Gary Feess says the cyber attack had “a sense of hate crime.”