WASHINGTON, May 1, (AFP) -An American man who hacked into the email account of then-vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was convicted Friday on charges of illegally accessing her email and obstruction of justice.
David Kernell, 22, was convicted on the two charges by a Tennessee jury, which acquitted him of a third charge of wire fraud.
“My family and I are thankful that the jury thoroughly and carefully weighed the evidence and issued a just verdict,” Palin wrote on her Facebook page.
“Besides the obvious invasion of privacy and security concerns surrounding this issue, many of us are concerned about the integrity of our country's political elections,” she added.
In a statement, Kernell's lawyers said he was “doing well,” adding that he was “grateful for the time and consideration the jury gave to his case.”Palin's email was hacked in September 2008 as she campaigned alongside Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
A number of her emails and two family photos taken from her account were posted online.
Kernell faces a maximum of one year in prison and a 100,000-dollar fine for unauthorized access of Palin's email, and 20 years in prison and a 250,000-dollar fine for the obstruction of justice charge, the Justice Department said. |
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