Sentencing in Sarah Palin e-mail hacking set for Sept. 24 in Knoxville
By APThursday, June 17, 2010
Sentencing in Palin hacking case set for September
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A judge set a Sept. 24 sentencing date for a former University of Tennessee student convicted of hacking Sarah Palin’s Yahoo e-mail account as the Republican campaigned for vice president in 2008.
Records show 22-year-old David Kernell faces a possible prison sentence of 15 to 21 months. He was found guilty April 30 in federal court in Knoxville of obstruction of justice and unauthorized access to a computer.
The former Alaska governor and her daughter testified the hacking caused emotional hardships.
Kernell’s attorney contended the hacking was a prank.
The judge at a brief Wednesday hearing agreed to consider a defense motion challenging the obstruction case.
A prosecutor declined comment Thursday, while a defense attorney didn’t immediately return a phone message.
Tags: Computer Crime, Knoxville, North America, Sarah Palin, Tennessee, United States
