Jeremy Hammond
Encyclopedia
Hacking charges
On March 17, 2005, Hammond's apartment in Chicago was raided by FBI agents who seized his computers, written records and various electronic media. Hammond alleged the FBI agents were verbally abusive towards him during the raid. He was eventually arrested and charged with felony-level offenses relating to computer hacking and credit card fraud, arising from the 2004 intrusion into the website belonging to the right-wing activist group Protest WarriorProtest Warrior
Protest Warrior was a conservative political activist group. It was formed in 2003 by Alan Lipton and Kfir Alfia in Austin, Texas. The group is primarily known for organizing counter-protests in favor of the Iraq war...
. Hammond took a list of approximately 5000 credit card numbers and was involved in a scheme to use these stolen numbers to make donations to humanitarian and charity groups. Though he had these numbers in his possession for a number of months, he never went through with the scheme. An informant contacted Protest Warrior and told them about the hack. They then contacted the FBI. The District Attorney and the FBI charged Hammond with 2.5 million dollars in damage ($500 per credit card), following guidelines for "intent to use", though he was arrested before any damage was actually done.
With his court appointed attorney's recommendations, Hammond eventually entered a "blind plea" of guilt without any plea bargain. At his sentencing hearing on December 7, 2006 he claimed that he was motivated by "political rivalry" and not personal gain. The judge said he believed that Hammond "probably wouldn't" have used the credit cards, but based the sentencing on a "30% chance" that something may have triggered him to use them eventually. He took 30% of the $2.5 million dollars and used that figure for the sentencing guidelines. Hammond was sentenced to 24 months in prison and 3 years' probation during which he may not participate in HackThisSite.org or anarchist activities.
Other Arrests
Along with several other activists, Hammond was arrested in Toledo, OhioToledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
en route to an anti-Nazi rally on December 11, 2005. These charges were eventually dropped, and Hammond along with others are now involved in a lawsuit against the city and police for wrongful arrest.
In addition to helping organize and participating in dozens of anti-war and anti-capitalist actions in Chicago and around the country, he has helped found and/or provide material assistance to other related political activist projects. He has volunteered and helped organize hacktivist
Hacktivism
Hacktivism is the use of computers and computer networks as a means of protest to promote political ends. The term was first coined in 1994 by a member of the Cult of the Dead Cow hacker collective named Omega...
workshops at Dai5ychain Community Computer Lab, has helped maintain activist living co-ops, has cooked, served, and hosted Food not Bombs
Food Not Bombs
Food Not Bombs is a loose-knit group of independent collectives, serving free vegan and vegetarian food to others. Food Not Bombs' ideology is that myriad corporate and government priorities are skewed to allow hunger to persist in the midst of abundance...
activities, and has organized public games of Urban Capture the Flag.
Hammond along with five others was arrested on September 29, 2009 in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Ill. for allegedly tearing down a Chicago 2016 Olympic banner in Daley Plaza and putting the banner wrapping into the eternal flame memorial after a protest at City Hall against the Olympic games. Hammond was charged with felony Mob Action, misdemeanor Criminal Damage To Property, and misdemeanor Resisting/Obstructing a Peace Officer. On November 29, 2010, Hammond was sentenced to 18 months probation, and community service.
Hammond was apprehended with four other occupants of a vehicle by River Grove, Illinois police the evening of November 23, 2009 after an attack at the Edelweiss Restaurant in Norridge, Illinois near Chicago during a private meeting in a back room of the restaurant being held by convicted Holocaust denier
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
David Irving
David Irving
David John Cawdell Irving is an English writer,best known for his denial of the Holocaust, who specialises in the military and political history of World War II, with a focus on Nazi Germany...
. Their vehicle was one of the two vehicles used by the attackers of the restaurant according to witness reports. Hammond and the other occupants of the vehicle were each charged with two counts of disorderly conduct. Their trial was scheduled for January 6, 2010.