Matthew Keys has been found guilty by a Sacramento jury of helping the group Anonymous hack into the website of the Los Angeles Times.
During the sentencing, scheduled for Jan. 20, 2016, Keys, 28, could face up to 25 years in prison in addition to nine years of supervised release and a fine of $750,000, reported CNN Money. The charges leading to the conviction include conspiracy to cause damage to a protected computer, transmission of malicious code, and attempted transmission of malicious code.
Justice Department spokeswoman Lauren Horwood says that while the department has yet to determine what sentence it will request, it is likely to be less than five years, reported NBC News.
"It's bullshit," Keys said, reacting to the judgment, according to The Huffington Post.
Keys was fired in October 2010 by the Tribune Media Co., owners of the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Baltimore Sun among other media spreadsheets and sites. He approached the group Anonymous claiming to be an undercover journalist. He then helped Anonymous hack into the Los Angeles Times by sharing login information from the Tribune Media Co. and revising a story on its website.
Keys had later joined Thomson Reuters as a deputy social media editor, a position from which he was dismissed in 2012, when he was charged.
"We are pleased that the justice system worked. We will let today's verdict speak for itself," said Gary Weitman, spokesman for the Tribune Media Co., according to NBC News.
