After the New York Times initially broke the news in June that the FBI and the Justice Department were investigating an alleged cyber attack onto the Houston Astros organization by the St. Louis Cardinals organization, a former Cardinals employee pleaded guilty to the charges today. Chris Correa, former scouting director of the Cardinals was indicted and entered a guilty plea for five of the 12 charges brought against him in the case. Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal was the first to report this story.
Former Cardinals Employee Pleads Guilty to Hacking
Reid Laymance of the Houston Chronicle provided more information on the details of the court proceedings. The maximum penalty on each of the counts is five years in prison, up to $250,000 and potentially restitution. Additionally, the information that Correa gained unauthorized access to is valued at $1.7 million. This information is said to have included an excel file of the Astros’ scouting list and player rankings of every player eligible for the 2013 draft.
Correa has stated that he only engaged in the attack on the Astros’ database under the suspicion that they committed a similar attack against the Cardinals. Correa had initially denied any illegal conduct in a statement from his lawyer following his dismissal from the Cardinals’ organization. According to the official court documents, Correa was able to access the Astros’ system by deciphering the password of a former Cardinals employee.
Brian McTaggart, a Houston Astros beat reporter for MLB.com tweeted the statements of the Astros organization and MLB earlier today.
Astro statement: pic.twitter.com/qpSr5hVYUH
— Brian McTaggart ⚾️ (@brianmctaggart) January 8, 2016
MLB statement: pic.twitter.com/7EMi9LArTK
— Brian McTaggart ⚾️ (@brianmctaggart) January 8, 2016
When reports of the incident first broke this past summer, Cardinals general manger John Mozeliak dismissed any knowledge of the alleged incident. Team chairman Bill DeWitt denounced the attack as well, calling it “roguish behavior.” A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for April 11.
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