Nickolas Sharp has been sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay almost $1.6 million to his now-former employer Ubiquiti – after stealing gigabytes of corporate data from the biz and then trying to extort almost $2 million from his bosses while posing as an anonymous hacker.
In February, Sharp, 37, pleaded guilty to intentionally damaging a protected computer, wire fraud, and making false statements to the FBI. He was sent down on Wednesday by US District Judge Katherine Polk Failla.
“Nickolas Sharp was paid close to a quarter million dollars a year to help keep his employer safe,” US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.
He abused that trust by stealing a massive amount of sensitive data, attempting to implicate innocent employees in his attack
“He abused that trust by stealing a massive amount of sensitive data, attempting to implicate innocent employees in his attack, extorting his employer for ransom, obstructing law enforcement, and spreading false news stories that harmed the company and anyone who invested into the company.
“Sharp now faces serious penalties for his callous crimes.”
Those penalties in the end weren’t as serious as Williams would have liked. Prosecutors had urged the judge to put Sharp behind bars for between eight and 10 years.
“Such a sentence would adequately reflect the seriousness of Sharp’s crimes, provide just punishment, and send a message to would-be hackers that a substantial jail term is the likely consequence
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